Is expanding HPV vaccination programs to include school-aged boys likely to be value-for-money: A cost-utility analysis in a country with an existing school-girl program

Abstract

Background: Similar to many developed countries, vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) is provided only to girls in New Zealand and coverage is relatively low (47% in school-aged girls for dose 3). Some jurisdictions have already extended HPV vaccination to school-aged boys. Thus, exploration of the cost-utility of adding boys' vaccination is relevant. We modeled the incremental health gain and costs for extending the current girls-only program to boys, intensifying the current girls-only program to achieve 73% coverage, and extension of the intensive program to boys.Methods: A Markov macro-simulation model, which accounted for herd immunity, was developed for an annual cohort of 12..