Economic evaluation of a metropolitan-wide, school-based hepatitis B vaccination program

Abstract

The results of an evaluation of a large metropolitan-wide, school-based hepatitis B vaccination program provide further evidence that such programs are effective and cost-beneficial. The percentage of 6th grade students fully immunized against hepatitis B rose from approximately 8% to 82% in the program. Administering the vaccine at school was $1.46 per dose less than traditional methods. Over $24 million of potential health care costs have been avoided through the program.