Economic aspects of vaccines and immunizations.

Several techniques are used to estimate whether investing in vaccines and immunization is worthwhile, including cost analysis, cost-benefit analysis, cost-effectiveness analysis, and cost-utility analysis. At least 162 published economic evaluations of vaccines have been carried out from 1969 to 1998. They consistently show that immunization is an excellent investment--highly cost-effective and usually cost-saving--for vaccines that are currently recommended for universal use. Although prices of newer vaccines are higher than prices of traditional vaccines, they are still highly cost-effective. The World Health Organization, UNICEF, and vaccine manufacturers have developed approaches to make newer vaccines available to developing countries at reduced prices. Sustainability of immunization programs (the ability of a country to continue its immunization program in the absence of external support) is an increasingly important goal. However, external assistance will be essential in the short term to ensure that all the world's people benefit fully from the new vaccines.