Economic burden of varicella in Europe in the absence of universal varicella vaccination

Background Though the disease burden of varicella in Europe has been reported previously, the economic burden is still unknown. This study estimated the economic burden of varicella in Europe in the absence of Universal Varicella Vaccination (UVV) in 2018 Euros from both payer (direct costs) and societal (direct and indirect costs) perspectives. Methods We estimated the country specific and overall annual costs of varicella in absence of UVV in 31 European countries (27 EU countries, plus Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom). To obtain country specific unit costs and associated healthcare utilization, we conducted a systematic literature review, searching in PubMed, EMBASE, NEED, DARE, REPEC, Open Grey, and public heath websites (1/1/1999-10/15/2019). The number of annual varicella cases, deaths, outpatient visits and hospitalizations were calculated (without UVV) based on age-specific incidence rates (Riera-Montes et al. 2017) and 2018 population data by country. Unit cost per varicella case and disease burden data were combined using stochastic modeling to estimate 2018 costs stratified by country, age and healthcare resource. Results Overall annual total costs associated with varicella were estimated to be euro662,592,061 (Range: euro309,552,363 to euro1,015,631,760) in Europe in absence of UVV. Direct and indirect costs were estimated at euro229,076,206 (Range euro144,809,557 to euro313,342,856) and euro433,515,855 (Range euro164,742,806 to euro702,288,904), respectively. Total cost per case was euro121.45 (direct: euro41.99; indirect: euro79.46). Almost half of the costs were attributed to cases in children under 5 years, owing mainly to caregiver work loss. The distribution of costs by healthcare resource was similar across countries. France and Germany accounted for 49.28% of total annual costs, most likely due to a combination of high numbers of cases and unit costs in these countries. Conclusions The economic burden of varicella across Europe in the absence of UVV is substantial (over 600 Meuro), primarily driven by caregiver burden including work productivity losses.

Automated summary

This study estimated the economic burden of varicella in Europe in the absence of Universal Varicella Vaccination (UVV), showing an overall annual total cost of 662,592,061 euros. Almost half of the costs were attributed to cases in children under 5 years, and France and Germany accounted for 49.28% of total annual costs.