Resources Repository
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ArticlePublication 2010Health and Economic Impact of Rotavirus Vaccination in GAVI-Eligible Countries
Rotavirus infection is responsible for about 500,000 deaths annually, and the disease burden is disproportionately …
Rotavirus infection is responsible for about 500,000 deaths annually, and the disease burden is disproportionately borne by children in low-income countries. Motivated by the global recommendation by the WHO that all countries include infant rotavirus vaccination in their national immunization programs, the objective of this analysis was to provide information on the expected health, economic and financial consequences of rotavirus vaccines in the 72 GAVI support-eligible countries. The authors synthesized population-level data from various sources (primarily from…
Infectious Diseases | Health Outcomes | Mathematical Models | State-Transition | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Child/Nutrition | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine | Sub-Saharan Africa | Middle East & North Africa | Latin America & Caribbean | Asia & Pacific -
ArticlePublication 2010Model Uncertainty in Economic Evaluation of Health Interventions: Rotavirus Vaccination in Vietnam
Motivated by observed discrepancies between 2 published studies on the cost-effectiveness of rotavirus vaccination in …
Motivated by observed discrepancies between 2 published studies on the cost-effectiveness of rotavirus vaccination in Vietnam, the authors' objectives were to illustrate a specific, systematic approach to assessing model (structure and process) uncertainty and to quantify explicitly the contributions of different sources of variation in the outputs of different studies that share the same research question. On the basis of a series of working definitions of key model elements, the authors developed 5 alternative computer…
Infectious Diseases | Mathematical Models | State-Transition | Calibration/Validation | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine | Asia & Pacific -
ReviewPublication 2010Validation of Population-Based Disease Simulation Models: A Review
This article develops a framework for validating population-based chronic disease simulation models, and reviews the …
This article develops a framework for validating population-based chronic disease simulation models, and reviews the principles and methods for such models. While computer simulation models are used increasingly to support public health research and policy, questions about their quality persist. Based on the review, the authors formulated a set of recommendations for gathering evidence of model credibility. They find that evidence of model credibility derives from examining: 1) the process of model development, 2) the…
Chronic Disease/Risk | Mathematical Models | Calibration/Validation | Social Determinants | Health/Medicine -
Online LearningVideo, Teaching Resource 2010TED Talk. The Riddle of Experience vs. Memory
In recent years, much attention has been devoted to the study of happiness, yet Daniel …
In recent years, much attention has been devoted to the study of happiness, yet Daniel Kahneman argues that there is confusion around defining happiness or well-being. He distinguishes between the happiness of our “experiencing selves” (whether we are happy in the moment) and our “remembering selves” (whether we are happy with the state of our lives on reflection). When we make choices, therefore, our decisions may be biased toward pleasing either the experiencing or remembering…
Chronic Disease/Risk | Decision Psychology | Preferences/Values | Culture/Society | Health/Medicine | High School | College | Graduate | Doctoral | Professional | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Decision Making/Leadership -
ArticlePublication 2009Cost-Effectiveness of Rotavirus Vaccination in Vietnam
This article reports on a cost-effectiveness analysis of rotavirus vaccination, including varying degrees of severity, …
This article reports on a cost-effectiveness analysis of rotavirus vaccination, including varying degrees of severity, age-dependency of clinical manifestation, and additional features of the disease (e.g., the possibility of reinfection and varying degrees of partial immunity conferred by natural infection). The authors developed a Markov model that reflects key features of rotavirus infection, using the most recent data available at the time of their analysis. They applied the model to the 2004 Vietnamese birth cohort…
Infectious Diseases | Mathematical Models | Calibration/Validation | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Child/Nutrition | Health Systems | Health/Medicine | Asia & Pacific -
ReviewPublication 2008Cost-Effectiveness of Vaccination: Review of Modelling Approaches
This review examines the modelling approaches used in cost-effectiveness analyses (CEAs) of vaccination programs. After …
This review examines the modelling approaches used in cost-effectiveness analyses (CEAs) of vaccination programs. After overviewing the key attributes of models used in CEAs, a framework for categorizing theoretical models is presented. Categories are based on three main attributes: static/dynamic; stochastic/deterministic; and aggregate/individual based.
Infectious Diseases | Mathematical Models | State-Transition | Dynamic Transmission | Microsimulation | Dynamic Simulation | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology | Global -
ArticlePublication 2007Making the Right Decision: Benjamin Franklin in 1736
This paper applies a decision analytic approach to a past decision made by Benjamin Franklin with regard to …
This paper applies a decision analytic approach to a past decision made by Benjamin Franklin with regard to inoculating his son against smallpox. Benjamin Franklin in his autobiography said: “In 1736 I lost one of my sons, a fine boy of four years old, by the smallpox taken in the common way. I long regretted bitterly and still regret that I had not given it to him by inoculation. This I mention for the sake of the parents who…
Infectious Diseases | Decision Analysis | Health/Medicine -
ArticlePublication 2007Economic Evaluation of Hepatitis B Vaccination in Low-Income Countries: Cost-Effectiveness Affordability Curves
In the face of uncertainties about both the health and economic consequences of a vaccine …
In the face of uncertainties about both the health and economic consequences of a vaccine program, as well as the availability and magnitude of resources needed to fund the program, cost-effectiveness affordability curves can provide information to decision-makers about the probability that a program will be both cost-effective and affordable: these are distinct but equally relevant considerations in resource-poor settings. This paper describes the application of this method to assess a hepatitis B vaccination program in the…
Infectious Diseases | Costing Methods | Mathematical Models | State-Transition | Microsimulation | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Health Systems | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine | Sub-Saharan Africa -
BookPublication 1978Swine Flu Affair: Decision-Making on a Slippery Disease
This report from the Institute of Medicine, The Swine Flu Affair: Decision-Making on a Slippery …
This report from the Institute of Medicine, The Swine Flu Affair: Decision-Making on a Slippery Disease, was written to review and critique the decisions made around the 1976 swine flu threat. In 1976, a small group of soldiers at Fort Dix were infected with a swine flu virus that was deemed similar to the virus responsible for the great 1918-19 world-wide flu pandemic. The U.S. government initiated an unprecedented effort to immunize every American against…
Infectious Diseases | Decision Analysis | Risk Analysis | Health Systems | Policy/Regulation | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology | North America