Annali di igiene : medicina preventiva e di comunità
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Vaccination of all healthy children against rotavirus (RV) has been recommended, since the availability of vaccines, both in Europe (PIDJ) and Italy (pediatricians). The aims of universal vaccination against RV include the protection of children against moderate/severe gastroenteritis forms by RV (GARV), prevent hospitalizations, reduce the severity and duration of the disease, and reduce morbidity and socioeconomic costs. Payers need to informed regarding the efficacy and the healthcare utilization related to RV vaccination in order to decide in favour of its extensive implementation. ⋯ The indirect effects of the vaccine (HI) could generate protection even in unvaccinated children with health gain and a number of cases by GARV much less than those that would vaccinating small groups of children and with a cost of illness, for NHS, which would be reduced significantly, despite the additional costs of the vaccine as early as the second year of vaccination. Productivity losses due to absence from work of a parent, as well as all other costs included in the model, show that is precisely the society to pay the consequences, from economic and social point of view. Considering the citizen in the role of private payer, we must stress as for him, the savings generated by vaccination, whether universal or with demand for cost-sharing by the health service, prove significant with a major health gain for the population under study.