New cost-effectiveness study on typhoid conjugate vaccine in Lao PDR

Policymakers in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) have been considering the introduction of typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) into the national immunization program. A study published in BMC Public Health, assessed the cost effectiveness of typhoid conjugate vaccine using the five approaches below in Lao PDR to inform immunization policymaking:

1. School-based

2. Community-based, starting at 9 months of age

3. Community-based with a catch-up campaign at age 15 years

4. Community-based with a catch-up campaign at age 20 years

5. School-based with a catch-up campaign at age 21 years

The authors found that TCV introduction would not be cost-effective in the Lao PDR context. The inclusion in the immunization program would only be cost-effective if the true typhoid incidence is 25 times higher than the author’s current estimate.