The public health and economic impact of the Greek pediatric national immunization program.

Abstract

Background: Vaccines are one of the most effective healthcare tools to prevent morbidity and mortality from infectious diseases.

Research design and methods: A decision tree model was used to evaluate the public health and economic impact of the Greek pediatric national immunization program (NIP) over the lifetime of the 2022 Greek birth cohort. The model included nine Greek NIP routine vaccines for children aged 2 months to 11 years, targeting 14 vaccine-preventable diseases: diphtheria, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type B, measles, meningococcal disease, mumps, pertussis, pneumococcal disease, poliomyelitis, rotavirus, rubella, tetanus, and varicella. The outcomes (discounted 3% annually) included estimated disease cases and deaths averted, life-years (LYs) and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) gained, total costs averted (2022 euros), and benefit-cost ratios (BCR) from healthcare-sector and societal perspectives.

Results: The Greek pediatric NIP prevented 447,221 disease cases and 242 deaths, resulting in 6,682 LYs and 9,741 total QALYs gained for the 2022 birth cohort. Costs averted were €23.2 million (BCR = 1.3) from the healthcare-sector perspective; costs averted from the societal perspective were €201.4 million (BCR = 3.1), plus €514.0 million in value of QALYs gained (BCR = 8.5).

Conclusion: The Greek pediatric NIP provides extensive public health and economic benefits for Greece by reducing morbidity and mortality from vaccine-preventable diseases.