A new report has highlighted the significant benefits of adult vaccination in Ireland. If fully implemented, four vaccination programs could prevent 1,400 deaths, over 73,700 hospitalizations, and 376,000 disease cases, over an estimated 19-year period.
The report, titled “Value of Adult Vaccination in Ireland,” focuses on immunization programs for influenza, pneumococcal disease, respiratory syncytial virus, and herpes zoster. Commissioned by GSK and conducted by the Office for Health Economics in the UK, the report emphasizes that for every €1 spent on these vaccinations, there could be a return of up to €23 to society.
The study evaluates the benefits of expanding the annual influenza vaccine to individuals aged 50 and older, offering the one-time pneumococcal vaccine to those aged 65 and over, and introducing vaccination programs for herpes zoster for those aged 50 and older, as well as for the Respiratory Syncytial Virus for individuals aged 65 plus.
This report comes as the Government approved an annual RSV vaccination program starting in September, which aims to prevent over 450 hospitalizations and 48 ICU admissions annually for around 28,000 infants.