To help save more than $100 million in taxpayer money annually, flu-vaccine efforts should be focused early in the flu season, with a stronger emphasis on children and seniors.
That's among the preliminary findings of research from the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University that were recently presented to the Maricopa County Department of Public Health.
The two programs are part of the EPIPLANZ system, with its name derived from "epi," for epidemiology, and "planz" for the "planning" and policy development aspect.
The first program is now operational on Maricopa County health officials' computers. It contains the basic information about how the flu typically moves through the county's population.
It also includes cost estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
For more information, visit www.knowwpcarey.com.
