MONDAY, Aug. 19, 2002 (HealthDayNews) --
While flu shots are common for the elderly, there has been much debate about whether giving them to young people is worth the time and money.
Absolutely, says a new Stanford University study, which appears in tomorrow's issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
The study's lead author, Dr. Patrick Lee, an internal medicine resident at Stanford Hospital and Clinics, used a computer model study to assess previously published data on the costs and benefits of flu vaccination and treatment of flu patients with antiviral medication in healthy adults aged 18 to 50.
The data included vaccine and drug costs, work time lost to illness, and the length of symptom relief from antiviral medications.
The study also included a survey of 210 people at a family practice clinic. They were asked about their willingness to pay for fly symptom relief and medication without side effects.
Wand and his colleagues ran the computer model 1,000 times. They systematically changed the data to account for variations, such as different flu vaccine costs. The average is $10.41, but the cost may range from $5 to $20.
The computer came up with four strategies that included vaccination and had an overall savings of about $30 each, compared to no vaccination and no treatment with antivirals.
"Our study shows that society as a whole benefits if you vaccinate the entire population and use antiviral medications on those who get sick," Lee says.
Influenza affects 10 percent to 20 percent of Americans each year, with an average 2.8 work days lost for each person sick with the flu.
More information
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a packet of advice and facts on the coming flu season.
