My university is kind enough to offer subsidised flu jabs for $AUS20. But is it socially efficient for me as a healthy adult to get a flu jab? I thought I’d take a look at what Google Scholar said:
Effectiveness and Cost-Benefit of Influenza Vaccination of Healthy Working Adults Vaccine Conclusion Influenza vaccination of healthy working adults younger than 65 years can reduce the rates of ILI, lost workdays, and physician visits during years when the vaccine and circulating viruses are similar, but vaccination may not provide overall economic benefits in most years.
Cost benefit of influenza vaccination in healthy, working adults Conclusion: This cost benefit analysis based on the results of the LAIV trial provides additional evidence that influenza vaccination may provide both health and economic benefits for healthy, working adults.
Influenza Vaccination Among Healthy Employees: A Cost-Benefit Analysis The cost of vaccination programmes exceeded the benefit from averted infections. Optimal vaccination strategies for healthy adults need to be planned individually with minimal loss of working time.
Cost-Benefit Analysis of a Strategy to Vaccinate Healthy Working Adults Against Influenza Results Vaccinating healthy working adults was on average cost saving, with mean savings of $13.66 per person vaccinated (95% probability interval: net savings of $32.97 to net costs of $2.18), with vaccination generating net savings 95% of the time. The model was most sensitive to the influenza illness rate, the work absenteeism rate due to influenza, and hourly wages. In the worst-case scenario vaccination was not cost saving. Vaccination also generated net costs to society during years with a poor vaccine–circulating virus strain match. In all of the other sensitivity analysis scenarios, vaccination was cost saving. Conclusion Influenza vaccination of healthy working adults on average is cost saving. These findings support a strategy of routine, annual vaccination for this group, especially when vaccination occurs in efficient and low-cost sites.
Economic Analysis of Influenza Vaccination and Antiviral Treatment for Healthy Working Adults Results: In the base-case analysis, all strategies for influenza vaccination had a higher net benefit than the nonvaccination strategies. Vaccination and use of rimantadine, the most cost-beneficial strategy, was $30.97 more cost-beneficial than nonvaccination and no use of antiviral medication. Conclusions: Vaccination is cost-beneficial in most influenza seasons in healthy working adults.
Short answer seems to be maybe (three votes yes, two vote no), though these studies seem to focus primarily on saved work days. I more worried about avoiding feeling horrible for a few days. There are also the benefits to my friends and family who are each slightly less likely to catch the flu (or have to care for a sick Rob!) if I am vaccinated. Given we partially ration healthcare through government here, there are also the benefits to other sick people who can get more access to medicine if I am not competing with them in a queue (a small benefit as flu is unlikely to drive me to the doctor). Unfortunately my earning power is quite low at the moment (so a day off is less economically costly), but presumably my ability to study hard now will increase my future earnings so there is a cost to down-time.
Combining all of this, it seem more likely than not that getting a flu jab is socially efficient. Which is just as well, because at just $20 I’d decided to get it even if it wasn’t!
Tagged: cost benefit analysis, economics, health
