Study Shows Vaccine Cash Incentives Work Too Well In Some Countries

USA Today reports that in a recent study by the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, “Researchers found that many countries dramatically inflated the number of children said to have received diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine, thus boosting the amount of money the governments received.”

The vaccination program, funded by the Global Alliance on Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI), pays $20 for every new child who gets a shot. Pakistan is said to have claimed “in 1999 that more than 1.7 million children were newly vaccinated. It reaped more than $35 million in the bonus payments. Instead, household surveys found that just 250,000 children had gotten shots, justifying just $5 million in payments.”

The study’s lead author, Christopher Murray, stated that "The government of Niger is amazingly claiming 100% vaccine coverage. It doesn't take rocket science to realize there's a lot of over-reporting." USA Today reports that the study showed that “Overall, the countries reported 13.9 million newly vaccinated children, while surveys indicate that the actual number is closer to 7.4 million. At $20 per child, GAVI paid out $290 million, nearly double the $150 million that would have been justified.”

Christopher Murray “agreed” that GAVI “got a good health return on that money” and stated that "Overall, GAVI said it would pay $20 to immunize a child. They ended up paying $39. That's still a pretty good buy." Read full story here