A study published in Health Economics has shown that after-effects in survivors of meningitis have a negative impact on the health of close family members. Dr Al-Janabi and colleagues surveyed 1218 family networks of people affected by meningitis who are members of Meningitis Research Foundations (MRF).
They found that family members of survivors with after-effects were 2.3 times more likely to report anxiety or depression than family members of survivors with no after-effects. They were also 1.4 times more likely to have problems with usual activities and 1.3 times more likely to report pain or discomfort. When a person develops a serious illness, such as meningitis, it is likely to be a time of great stress for those close to them. Family members may worry, feel guilt or anxiety and may take on more caring responsibilities. The impact of meningitis on family members is termed the 'spillover effect'. This was the first study to compare methods for measuring the spillover effect for use in economic evaluations. The spillover effect can extend beyond the closest family member, but declines with increasing social distance from the survivor.
The results of this study suggest that vaccinations against diseases such as meningitis will not only bring significant health benefits to the individual, but will improve the lives of those close to them by preventing or reducing spillover effects such as anxiety, depression and caring responsibilities. Therefore economic evaluations to decide the cost-effectiveness of introducing a vaccine need to take into account the socio-economic costs of the disease.
On 1 September MRF welcomed the worlds' first comprehensive vaccination programme for babies against MenB meningitis and septicaemia, which, over the next decade, has the potential to prevent up to 4,000 cases of meningococcal disease in children younger than five in England alone. The vaccination programme is likely to bring significant health benefits, not just to individuals protected, but also to their family networks.
Hareth Al-Janabi said: "The health of carers and others close to the patient will often be relevant to economic evaluation, but it is very rarely considered in practice. In this study we used three different approaches to quantify health spillovers in the context of meningitis. This study demonstrates that sizeable health spillovers, which extend beyond the closest family member are likely to occur in the context of preventing meningitis. To align economic evaluation with improving population, as opposed to purely patient, health, it is important that health spillovers are given attention in applied economic evaluation."
Linda Glennie, Head of Research and Medical Information for Meningitis Research Foundation said: "With the help of participating families, we have been able to show that meningitis had long-term effects on family members' health, particularly anxiety and depression. The findings suggest that vaccinating against meningitis will bring significant health benefits not just to those that might otherwise have contracted the illness but also to their family networks. This study illustrates the importance of vaccinations to the individual and the family unit as a whole. Economic evaluations need to take into account the socio-economic costs when deciding if a vaccine is viable."