Evaluating the impacts of vaccination, antiviral treatment and school closure on H1N1 influenza epidemic

Multi-objective simulation optimization was performed to synergistically investigate the cost and benefits of the most commonly-used strategies for H1N1 epidemic mitigation: vaccination, antiviral treatment, and school closure. By simultaneously considering the three intervention strategies, this study leads to findings that supplement those in the existing work, and provides additional insights regarding intervention decision making. Specifically, our investigation suggests that different vaccine prioritization strategies, the age-based vs. ACIP (Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) recommendation, be implemented depending on vaccine availability; individual school closure policies are favored over their global counterparts, at least when both vaccination and antiviral treatment are implemented with relatively plentiful medicine supply. The trade-offs of cost and benefits of the intervention strategies were investigated, and can be used to support relevant decision making.