Organizational work of immunization and vaccination in primary care

Abstract

The use of vaccines for the prevention of diseases in children, adults and the elderly leads to fewer medical visits, diagnostic tests, treatment and hospitalizations, which leads to significant savings in health care costs. Vaccines also contribute to reducing resource use by preventing hospital-acquired infections such as rotavirus gastroenteritis. Vaccination also plays an important role in the prevention of cancer, for example, with vaccines against human papillomavirus or hepatitis B. Since the financial consequences of cancer are high for patients, health systems and society as a whole, any prevented cases will reduce this impact. New vaccines, such as the herpes zoster vaccine, can provide a response to unmet medical needs by preventing and reducing the severity of shingles and associated postherpetic neuralgia, which are difficult to treat conditions. Thus, in the face of increasing pressure on health budgets, vaccination can contribute to the sustainability of health systems by reducing and using health resources more efficiently.