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It is bad enough that the elderly and others at high
risk of complications from the flu, such as pregnant women, are encouraged
to get flu shots each year, but now a researcher reports that immunizing
all healthy working adults makes economic sense. Yeah, right.
There has been no evidence
to date that vaccinating most healthy adults is cost-effective.
One recent study of workers at the Ford
Motor Company showed giving all workers the flu shot cost the company
more than $65 per worker.
Healthy working adults have a low
risk of developing serious flu-related complications, but now
the claim is that widespread vaccination may result in savings by reducing
physician visits and missed workdays.
With most vaccination drives concentrated on the elderly
and other high-risk groups, fewer than 25% of healthy working adults aged
18 to 64 get a flu shot each year.
Archives of Internal Medicine
March 12, 2001;161:749-759
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