Costs and effectiveness of influenza vaccination: A systematic review

Background. Seasonal influenza can cause a significant public health burden. Vaccination is proposed as the most effective measure to prevent influenza and related undesired outcomes. Objective. To estimate the efficiency of influenza vaccination. Methods. A literature review of economic evaluations of influenza vaccinations, published over the last 5 years, was performed using MEDLINE (through PubMed), Web of Science and Scopus. Results. 935 papers were identified and 30 were selected, including studies performed in different population subgroups: general population, children, adults, elderly, pregnant women and high risk patients. Twenty-one studies were performed in Europe and in US. The majority of the studies were carried out on elderly patients and children. All except one were cost-effectiveness analyses and reported influenza vaccination as a cost-saving or cost-effective intervention. Conclusions. Vaccination strategies are economically favourable in a range of countries and sub-groups of patients.