Abstract
To evaluate the benefit and costs of vaccination of university students against invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in Canada. Published studies were reviewed and a simulation model was used. IMD risk seems to be of low magnitude, but consequences can be dramatic. Over a 10-year period, IMD risk reduction would be slightly greater using a monovalent C conjugate vaccine than a quadrivalent polysaccharide vaccine. From a societal perspective, costs per quality-adjusted life-years gained would be between $135,000 and $698,000, according to epidemiological scenarios and with vaccine purchase prices between $35 and $50 per dose. Economic indices exceed proposed criteria for cost effective public health programs, but from the perspective of students and parents, the cost of vaccination might be worth the benefit.
Highlights
In 2000, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices issued a recommendation for health care providers to inform incoming first year university students and their parents about the risk of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) and the availability of a safe and effective vaccine [3]
Behavioural factors associated with an increased IMD risk among university students were similar to those found for asymptomatic carriage and included residence on campus, residence in dormitories, visiting/spending time in cafeterias and bars, alcohol consumption, active and passive smoking, and French kissing [12,17]
Should Canadian university students be vaccinated against IMD?
Summary
To evaluate the benefit and costs of vaccination of university students against invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in Canada. OBJECTIF : Évaluer le bénéfice et les coûts de la vaccination des étudiants universitaires contre la maladie à méningocoque envahissante (MME) au Canada. In 2000, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices issued a recommendation for health care providers to inform incoming first year university students and their parents about the risk of IMD and the availability of a safe and effective vaccine [3]. The aim of this article is to review evidence on the risk of IMD in university students, and to evaluate the benefit and costs of vaccination from both societal and individual perspectives in Canada, using either the meningococcal quadrivalent (A, C, Y and W-135) polysaccharide vaccine (Men-4-PS) or the meningococcal monovalent C conjugate vaccine (Men-C-Con). Correspondence and reprints: Dr Philippe De Wals, Département de médecine sociale et préventive, Université Laval, Pavillon de l’Est, Local
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