Currently, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends one-time tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccination for all adults 19 years and older. This study is designed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of Tdap vaccination for Tdap-eligible adults aged 19 through 85 in the United States. A cost-effectiveness model was developed to compute costs and health outcomes associated with pertussis among 100,000 Tdap-eligible persons of each age cohort. From the societal perspective, the cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) saved was evaluated under the vaccination scenarios. Sensitivity analyses were also conducted to evaluate the impacts of changes in key variables. All costs were adjusted to 2018 US$ with an annual discount rate of 3% applied to costs and outcomes. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) for vaccinating US adults aged 19 to 85 with Tdap ranged from $248,000/QALY to $900,000/QALY. The lowest cost per QALY was found to be $248,000 for the age 65 cohort, followed by $332,000 for the cohort of age 19, and followed by $477,000 for the age 50 cohort. Sensitivity analysis showed the most dramatic changes in ICER occurred when changing the underreporting factor, vaccine effectiveness and vaccination costs. While Tdap vaccination may not be as cost effective as predicted earlier, it remains the best available preventive measure against pertussis. Further investigation of the true burden of pertussis disease among adults and the effectiveness of Tdap vaccination in this population is needed to better estimate the impact of Tdap vaccination.

The causes for zoster remain largely unknown. Psychological stress is one commonly-considered risk factor. We used self-controlled case series methods to look for increases in zoster following death or catastrophic health event occurring in a previously-healthy spouse. We found no increase, although this stressor led to increased mental health visits.

Despite US sanitation advancements, millions of waterborne disease cases occur annually, although the precise burden of disease is not well quantified. Estimating the direct healthcare cost of specific infections would be useful in prioritizing waterborne disease prevention activities. Hospitalization and outpatient visit costs per case and total US hospitalization costs for ten waterborne diseases were calculated using large healthcare claims and hospital discharge databases. The five primarily waterborne diseases in this analysis (giardiasis, cryptosporidiosis, Legionnaires' disease, otitis externa, and non-tuberculous mycobacterial infection) were responsible for over 40,000 hospitalizations at a cost of $970 million per year, including at least $430 million in hospitalization costs for Medicaid and Medicare patients. An additional 50,000 hospitalizations for campylobacteriosis, salmonellosis, shigellosis, haemolytic uraemic syndrome, and toxoplasmosis cost $860 million annually ($390 million in payments for Medicaid and Medicare patients), a portion of which can be assumed to be due to waterborne transmission.