NEW DELHI: As India’s elderly population grows, the country now has its first evidence that a government-funded annual influenza vaccination programme for senior citizens could reduce illness and deaths at an affordable cost.An AIIMS-led study has found that a government-funded influenza vaccination programme for adults aged 60 years and above would be cost-effective, with prioritising older adults with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease and chronic lung disease emerging as the most cost-effective strategy. Researchers estimate such a targeted programme would cost the government about Rs 817 crore a year, compared with around Rs 1,514 crore for vaccinating all senior citizens.Published in the journal Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses, the study estimates that influenza causes 5.3 million illnesses, more than 36,000 hospitalisations and nearly 85,000 deaths among Indians aged 60 years and above every year, underscoring a disease burden that remains largely overlooked despite the country’s ageing population.The study, led by Prof. Anand Krishnan of the Centre for Community Medicine, AIIMS, New Delhi, was conducted in collaboration with researchers from the Indian Council of Medical Research, the National Institute of Epidemiology, Chennai, the National Institute for Research in Bacterial Infections, Kolkata, the National Institute of Virology, Pune, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It analysed data from the INSPIRE surveillance network, which followed more than 7,200 adults aged 60 years and above from over 5,400 households across four sites in India between 2018 and 2023 to estimate influenza infections, hospitalisations, deaths and treatment costs. India currently has no publicly funded seasonal influenza vaccination programme for older adults. The researchers said their findings provide Indian evidence to help policymakers decide whether influenza vaccination should be included in publicly funded adult immunisation programmes. They concluded that while vaccinating all senior citizens is cost-effective, beginning with older adults who have underlying illnesses would deliver the biggest health gains with the least additional government spending.