Introduction
The number of people infected with influenza increases every year. The state of Illinois has reported over a thousand cases this winter season alone (Illinois Department of Public Health, 2018). The seriousness of the issue is aggravated by the fact that not only adults but also children suffer severely from flu outbreaks. Therefore, it is necessary to take serious measures to initiate policies to decrease the flu outbreak in Illinois for 2029.
Position of Novelty
The best of the available options for addressing the problem of influenza outbreaks is vaccination (Rubinstein, Marcu, Yardley, & Michie, 2015; Suwantarat & Apisarnthanarak, 2015). By choosing this approach, the state will decrease the number of infected people, reduce the levels of hospital admissions, and lower death rates. Vaccination requires significant preparation and may seem like a large financial burden but in the long run, it is more cost-effective. Therefore, the article by Jit, Newall, and Beutels (2013) in which the authors analyze vaccination strategies and their cost-effectiveness is a significant contribution to the development of the policy aimed at decreasing flu outbreak.
Critique the Merits
Jit et al. (2013) suggest a thorough analysis of the challenges that appear in the process of assessing the cost-effectiveness of vaccination. Not only do they estimate the epidemiological burden of the illness but they also analyze the economic burden of vaccination, as well as the impact of the vaccine on the population. The authors support their arguments with an extensive review of the literature and detailed analysis. Jit et al. (2013) outline as many as seven challenges to the cost-effectiveness of vaccination. Another merit of the article is that its authors define the possible limitations of their suggestions and provide a list of potential further recommendations to be analyzed. The authors’ support of vaccination as an effective method of eliminating the spread of influenza is supported by other credible sources such as the article by Rainwater-Lovett, Chun, and Lessler (2014) in which pharmaceutical interventions are discussed.
Recommendations
Taking into consideration the severity of influenza outbreaks and the need to manage them with an effective policy, the study by Jit et al. (2013) may be regarded as a significant contribution to this management process. However, even though vaccination is a highly productive method of preventing influenza, it is necessary to check its cost-effectiveness (Jackson & Nelson, 2013). Also, policymakers should perform regular surveillance of the disease to predict epidemics.
References
Illinois Department of Public Health. (2018).Influenza surveillance update. Web.
Jackson, M. J., & Nelson, J. C. (2013). The test-negative design for estimating influenza vaccine effectiveness. Vaccine, 31(17), 2165-2168.
Jit, M., Newall, A. T., & Beutels, P. (2013). Key issues for estimating the impact and cost-effectiveness of seasonal influenza vaccination strategies. Human Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics, 9(4), 834-840.
Rainwater-Lovett, K., Chun, K., & Lessler, J. (2014). Influenza outbreak control practices and the effectiveness of interventions in long-term care facilities: A systematic review. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses 8(1), 74-82.
Rubinstein, H., Marcu, A., Yardley, L., & Michie, S. (2015). Public preferences for vaccination and antiviral medicines under different pandemic flu outbreak scenarios. BMJ Public Health, 15(1), 1-13.
Suwantarat, N., & Apisarnthanarak, A. (2015). Risks to healthcare workers with emerging diseases: Lessons from MERS-CoV, Ebola, SARS, and avian flu. Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases, 28(4), 349-361.