Ryan O'Reilly

Project Details

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of the Pneumococcal Vaccination Programs in Ontario

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a bacterium that causes invasive (meningitis, septicemia, empyema) and non-invasive pneumococcal disease (pneumonia, otitis media). In the recent Ontario Burden of Infectious Disease Study, S.pneumoniae was ranked as the second most burdensome pathogen in the province in terms of health outcomes, above HIV, C.difficile and E.coli. Given that it is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality, two pneumococcal vaccines targeting the pathogen have been publicly funded in Ontario; PPV23 for seniors and PCV13 for infants. Despite the substantial costs associated with administering these programs, at present there has been no economic evaluation of the pneumococcal vaccination programs in Ontario. As such, the aim of my research is to assess the cost-effectiveness of the vaccines and the impact of potential changes to the current programs, using ICES health administrative data and Public Health Ontario Laboratory data.

Project Supervisor(s)

Dr. Beate Sander, Public Health Ontario

Education Profile

MSc in Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Health Technology Assessment), University of Toronto Hon. BSc in Biology & Pharmacology (Co-op), McMaster University