Economic Analysis of Influenza Vaccination and Treatment
Authors: Tom Jefferson, Vittorio Demicheli
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2003)

Letters1 April 2003Economic Analysis of Influenza Vaccination and TreatmentTom Jefferson, MD and Vittorio Demicheli, MDTom Jefferson, MDHealth Reviews Ltd.; 00061 Rome, Italy (Jefferson)Servizio Sovrazonale di Epidemiologica; 15100 Alessandria, Italy (Demicheli)Search for more papers by this author and Vittorio Demicheli, MDHealth Reviews Ltd.; 00061 Rome, Italy (Jefferson)Servizio Sovrazonale di Epidemiologica; 15100 Alessandria, Italy (Demicheli)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-138-7-200304010-00021 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Most economic models can be criticized on three accounts: the choice of epidemiologic background, the choice and use of estimates of effect of the intervention or interventions being evaluated, and the economic methods used (1). The economic model by Lee and colleagues (2) is no exception.First, the authors fail to explain and take into account in their model the difference between real influenza and influenza-like illness, the well-known annually recurring syndrome that is caused only in small part by influenza A and B viruses. Lee and colleagues assumed a probability of influenza infection of 15% in ...References1. Jefferson T, Demicheli V, Vale L. Quality of systematic reviews of economic evaluations in health care. JAMA. 2002;287:2809-12. [PMID: 12038919] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Lee PY, Matchar DB, Clements DA, Huber J, Hamilton JD, Peterson ED. Economic analysis of influenza vaccination and antiviral treatment for healthy working adults. Ann Intern Med. 2002;137:225-31. [PMID: 12186512] LinkGoogle Scholar3. Demicheli V, Rivetti D, Deeks JJ, Jefferson TO. Vaccines for preventing influenza in healthy adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2001;4:CD001269. [PMID: 11687102] MedlineGoogle Scholar4. Bridges CB, Thompson WW, Meltzer MI, Reeve GR, Talamonti WJ, Cox NJ, et al. . Effectiveness and cost–benefit of influenza vaccination of healthy working adults: a randomized, controlled trial. JAMA. 2000;284:1655-63. [PMID: 11015795] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Demicheli V, Jefferson T, Rivetti D, Deeks J. Prevention and early treatment of influenza in healthy adults. Vaccine. 2000;18:957-1030. [PMID: 10590322] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Health Reviews Ltd.; 00061 Rome, Italy (Jefferson)Servizio Sovrazonale di Epidemiologica; 15100 Alessandria, Italy (Demicheli) PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoEconomic Analysis of Influenza Vaccination and Antiviral Treatment for Healthy Working Adults Patrick Y. Lee , David B. Matchar , Dennis A. Clements , Joel Huber , John D. Hamilton , and Eric D. Peterson Economic Analysis of Influenza Vaccination and Treatment Henry Brodkin Economic Analysis of Influenza Vaccination and Treatment Afschin Gandjour Economic Analysis of Influenza Vaccination and Treatment Martin I. Meltzer and Carolyn B. Bridges Economic Analysis of Influenza Vaccination and Treatment Patrick Y. Lee and Eric D. Peterson Metrics Cited byHow many working days would be missed due to moderate or severe influenza pandemic in China? 1 April 2003Volume 138, Issue 7Page: 607KeywordsAntiviralsEpidemiologyExerciseRelative riskSystematic reviewsVaccines ePublished: 1 April 2003 Issue Published: 1 April 2003 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2003 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...