OBJECTIVES: To assess the public health impact of the pediatric immunization program (PIP) in the Netherlands.
METHODS: An Excel-based health economic model was developed focusing on the 6 vaccines included in the Dutch PIP, recommended for children aged 0-9 years. Separate decision trees were used to model the 11 pathogens covered by the PIP (i.e., diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, poliomyelitis, Haemophilus influenzae type B, hepatitis B, measles, mumps, rubella, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Neisseria meningitidis serogroups A, C, W, and Y). The 2019 birth cohort consisting of 169,680 children was followed over their lifetime. The model projected and compared health outcomes in scenarios with and without the PIP, based on Netherlands-specific current and pre-vaccine era disease incidence estimates, respectively. Current disease incidence estimates were generally calculated as average incidence rates from 2015-2019, and pre-vaccine era incidence estimates were obtained from years preceding vaccine introduction in the PIP. Incremental undiscounted cases, disease-related deaths, and life-years lost were estimated.
RESULTS: Across all 11 pathogens targeted by the PIP, with current vaccination coverage rates ranging between 90-95%, the Dutch PIP prevented approximately 116,500 cases of disease, 730 deaths, and 22,500 life-years lost for a birth cohort of 169,680 children. The highest number of estimated disease cases prevented was for Streptococcus pneumoniae, rubella, and measles, and the highest number of deaths prevented was from Streptococcus pneumoniae, diphtheria, and polio.
CONCLUSIONS: The Dutch PIP brings large-scale public health benefits in terms of substantially averting disease-related morbidity and premature mortality from vaccine-preventable diseases. This highlights the importance of continuous investment and expansions of the pediatric immunization program in the Netherlands.
