SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Health Economics
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1589403
This article is part of the Research TopicImmunization Economics: Balancing Costs, Outcomes, and Equity in Public HealthView all 3 articles
Optimizing Influenza Prevention: A Systematic Review of the Cost-Effectiveness of Pediatric Vaccination Programs and Vaccine Types
Provisionally accepted
- 1Altinbas University, School of Pharmacy, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Istanbul, Türkiye
- 2Graduate School of Health Sciences, Istanbul Medipol University, Istanbul, Türkiye
- 3Syreon Research Institute, Budapest, Hungary
- 4Medication Adherence Research Centre, Department of Family Medicine, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland
- 5Department of Health Management, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Ankara, Türkiye
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Introduction: Seasonal influenza is a major cause of illness and death worldwide. Vaccination remains the cornerstone of prevention, with options including trivalent inactivated (TIV), quadrivalent inactivated (QIV), and live-attenuated vaccines. This study aimed to provide a systematic overview of the cost-effectiveness of pediatric influenza vaccination programs, with a particular focus on comparing different vaccine types. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane databases for records published between 2013 and 2024. The target population included individuals younger than 18 years. The primary research question was: Which influenza vaccines, trivalent, quadrivalent, or live-attenuated, are more cost-effective, and how does introducing seasonal vaccination for children under 18 influence healthcare costs and health outcomes? Data extraction was performed using a structured Excel spreadsheet. Results: This review included 33 studies that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Most studies support the conclusion that vaccinating children is an effective and cost-effective strategy for reducing influenza transmission. Cost-effectiveness varied depending on epidemiological and demographic factors, the type of vaccine used, and age group differences, which were influenced by the analytical perspective and local health and economic conditions. Conclusion: This review confirms that pediatric influenza vaccination is a cost-effective intervention, particularly with quadrivalent vaccines. The optimal choice of vaccine and strategy should be tailored to local population needs and economic conditions to maximize public health benefits.
Keywords: pharma economic, Vaccine, flu, Human influenza, Seasonal flu
Received: 10 Mar 2025; Accepted: 02 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Aksoy, Ozturk, Agh, Kardas and Şahin. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Nilay Aksoy, nilay.aksoy@altinbas.edu.tr
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.