Private demand for cholera vaccines in Hue, Vietnam.

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to measure the private demand for oral cholera vaccines in Hue, Vietnam, an area of relatively low endemicity of cholera, using the contingent valuation method.

METHODS

Interviews were conducted with either the head of household or spouse in 800 randomly selected households with children less than 18 years old. Respondents were asked whether they would purchase an oral cholera vaccine with different levels of effectiveness and durations of effectiveness (both for themselves and for other household members) at a specified price.

RESULTS

The median respondent willingness to pay for 50% effective/3-year vaccine was estimated to be approximately $5, although 17% of the study sample would not pay for a cholera vaccine. The median economic benefit to a household of vaccinating all household members against cholera, as measured by its stated willingness to pay, was estimated to be $40 for a vaccine with these attributes.

CONCLUSIONS

The perceived private economic benefits of a cholera vaccine were high, but not evenly distributed across the population. A minority of the people in Hue place no value on receiving a cholera vaccine.