Measles cost-effectiveness of therapy

Although there is still no specific antiviral treatment for measles, attending to the considerable decrease in morbidity and mortality of measles in the United States, with the introduction of measles vaccine, it may be considered that prevention of measles by vaccination shows cost-effectiveness.

Measles is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus, that if not prevented may have a noticeable impact on the population. Although there is still not a specific antiviral treatment for measles, proper vaccination as primary prevention may have noteworthy impact on its incidence. Evidence of such is the incidence of measles in the US population, before and after the introduction of the measles vaccine.^[1]

• Before the vaccine was introduced, almost all children got measles by the age of 15. At that time in the United States, about 450-500 people died every year, 48,000 were hospitalized, 7,000 had seizures and about 1,000 suffered permanent brain damage or deafness from measles.
• Today, with the adequate access to vaccination, there are only about 60 cases a year reported in the United States. Of these, most have their origin outside of the US.

Considering the impact of vaccination in the incidence of measles, the costs may be justified by the benefit of vaccination.

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