Estimating the population-level effectiveness of vaccination program in the Netherlands

BACKGROUND: There are few estimates of the effectiveness of long-standing vaccination programs in developed countries. To fill this gap, we investigate the direct and indirect effectiveness of childhood vaccination programs on mortality at the population level in the Netherlands. METHODS: We focused on three communicable infectious diseases, diphtheria, pertussis, and poliomyelitis, for which we expect both direct and indirect effects. As a negative control, we used tetanus, a non-communicable infectious disease for which only direct effects are anticipated. Mortality data from 1903-2012 were... Mehr ...