A new research project by Perth’s The Kids Research Institute Australia, in collaboration with researchers from WA Health and The University of Western Australia, aims to demonstrate how influenza vaccination in children could be a highly cost-effective health care intervention in Australia.
A $218,000 grant from the WA Government’s ‘Research Translation Projects’ was awarded for the research project to Associate Professor Christopher Blyth from the Institute’s Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases.
Immunisation is one of the most cost-effective life-saving interventions in public health – and Influenza remains the most frequently diagnosed vaccine preventable disease with more than 180,000 Australians diagnosed with influenza in 2017. Despite the significant burden of disease, influenza vaccination for healthy children is not funded by the National Immunisation Program.
The funded project will explore the economic benefit of giving influenza vaccine to young children. It is expected that this research will be used to inform both state and national influenza programs.
UWA Professor Blyth and his team of researchers will spend the next two years quantifying the amount of money saved through the reduction in influenza-associated hospitalisation, emergency department visits and primary care – as well as society cost savings through reductions in parental absenteeism and increased parental productivity.
Associate Professor Blyth, who is also a Paediatric Infectious Diseases Physician and Clinical Microbiologist at Princess Margaret Hospital, said the grant is a great opportunity for local clinical research to inform local and national health policy.
“This research is a key step in translating clinical research into practice, public policy and program delivery,” he said
“Routine influenza vaccination is already recommended for all children in both the United States and the United Kingdom. This independent evaluation of the cost effectiveness of the vaccine in Australia using Australian data is the critical next step required to inform our national policy.”
The Research Translation Projects program was established by the Department of Health in 2007. The program seeks to support high-quality research projects that have the potential to demonstrate improved cost effectiveness and efficiencies that can be delivered to WA Health while maintaining patient outcomes. The program is also focused on translation of research outcomes into health care policy and practice in WA.
You can read more about the program and the full list of 2017 recipients here.
-- ENDS --