Cost effectiveness and cost benefit of vaccination against pneumococcal pneumonia: implications for clinical practice

The economic techniques of cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit analysis have provided useful insights into the potential advantages of vaccination against pneumococcal pneumonia. They suggest that the cost of vaccinating persons 65 years and older and perhaps younger persons with high risk conditions would be reasonable when compared with the cost of treatment for pneumococcal pneumonia. These findings, together with other considerations, may guide physicians and health care policymakers in deciding which individuals might be expected to benefit from pneumococcal vaccination.