A COMPARISON OF HUMAN ILLNESS COST ESTIMATES FOR E. COLI 0157:H7 DISEASE IN THE UNITED STATES AND SCOTLAND

Abstract

This paper explores differences in estimated social costs from foodborne Escherichia coli O157:H7 between the United States and Scotland with particular attention paid to methodological issues and categories of illness severity. Depending on the method of valuing premature deaths, estimated medical costs and lost productivity in the United States average $10,000-$21,350/case. The estimated cost from the largest reported Scottish milk-borne outbreak is $34,564/case. Costs per case were higher in Scotland predominately because the Scottish cases did not include patients who did not seek medical attention and because the Scottish cases had a higher percentage of the more costly complication of the disease, hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), typical of an outbreak. The U.S. estimates were based on the likely annual incidence of disease predicted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.