Decision research by Assistant Professor Joseph H. Cook and colleagues suggests that international vaccine policies could be made more effective. They asked households in Kolkata, India (formerly known as Calcutta) how much a vaccine was worth to them by inquiring how much they would be willing pay for a vaccine in different scenarios. For example, they asked, suppose there is a vaccine against cholera and the vaccine would be 50% effective at preventing you from getting cholera, it would last for three years, and then you would have to get another vaccine. Suppose that it cost $2; would you buy it for yourself and/or your family members? Giving different people different prices allowed the researchers to map out a demand curve, which could be used to determine the economic benefits of free vaccinations or to predict the coverage rates if the government instituted a user fee for the vaccine. Their research showed that there is sufficient market demand in Kolkata to make cholera vaccines available at cost. Because user fees in health remain controversial—especially for services to the poor—the current Indian government policy is to provide vaccines without user charges and to prohibit some vaccines from being sold in the private market. However, this strategy may not be financially feasible because there are a number of new, “next-generation” vaccines vying for very limited public health resources. Making cholera vaccines available at public clinics at cost would prevent cholera cases at little cost to the government. These findings provide guidance not only to Indian government policies, but also suggest strategic policy options that may help other governments and improve the sustainability of international vaccine-related policies.
>> For further reading, see Whittington, D., Sur, D., Cook, J., et al. (2009). Rethinking cholera and typhoid vaccination policies for the poor: Private demand in Kolkata, India. World Development, 37, 399–409.
Published on February 25, 2010
