Objective: To determine 1. whether influenza vaccination in the elderly is cost effective or cost saving compared with a non-intervention strategy and 2. whether it is worth framing a vaccination policy for this population. Background: Influenza causes substantial morbidity and mortality in...

Until recently, control of influenza has focused on increasing the use of the inactivated influenza vaccine and, in some countries, encouraging the appropriate use of the antiviral drugs amantadine and rimantadine. Now that a new class of antiviral drugs, the neuraminidase inhibitors, has been...

Objective: To determine whether vaccination against influenza in the Academic Medical Centre (AMC) of the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, may lead to an economic benefit by avoiding the loss in productivity associated with an outbreak of influenza illness among its employees. Design: A...

Hepatitis C is an important target for the development of disease management programs. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is common and most infected individuals develop persistent infection. Although this is usually associated with chronic liver injury (chronic hepatitis C), the infection and...

Optimal management of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected children requires a commitment from the healthcare delivery system, healthcare providers, and affected families and caregivers. When adequate resources are available (as in most industrialised nations), an aggressive...

HIV disease is a serious global health problem and a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. It has recently been estimated that more than 30 million adults and 1.1 million children are infected with HIV; it is expected that 40 million people will have acquired the virus by the year...

HIV/AIDS currently affects about 31 million people worldwide. Many infected people do not receive proper care because of a lack of resources or education about current treatment options. Even where treatments are available, they are often not optimal because of poor adherence, adverse events or...

As care for HIV/AIDS becomes more concentrated within specific providers and organisations, it would be useful to have indicators to describe the quality of care. This paper reviews concepts related to quality of care, and practical issues including sampling and risk adjustment. Indicators can...

According to the WHO, approximately 350 million people have chronic hepatitis B. Individuals with chronic hepatitis B have a highly variable and unpredictable clinical course and are at risk for developing cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Lamivudine is the only oral antiviral agent...