Abstract
BackgroundThe cost-benefit of raccoon rabies control strategies such as oral rabies vaccination (ORV) are under evaluation. As an initial quantification of the potential cost savings for a control program, the collection of selected rabies cost data was pilot tested for five counties in New York State (NYS) in a three-year period.MethodsRabies costs reported to NYS from the study counties were computerized and linked to a human rabies exposure database. Consolidated costs by county and year were averaged and compared.ResultsReported rabies-associated costs for all rabies variants totalled $2.1 million, for human rabies postexposure prophylaxes (PEP) (90.9%), animal specimen preparation/shipment to laboratory (4.7%), and pet vaccination clinics (4.4%). The proportion that may be attributed to raccoon rabies control was 37% ($784,529). Average costs associated with the raccoon variant varied across counties from $440 to $1,885 per PEP, $14 to $44 per specimen, and $0.33 to $15 per pet vaccinated.ConclusionRabies costs vary widely by county in New York State, and were associated with human population size and methods used by counties to estimate costs. Rabies cost variability must be considered in developing estimates of possible ORV-related cost savings. Costs of PEPs and specimen preparation/shipments, as well as the costs of pet vaccination provided by this study may be valuable for development of more realistic scenarios in economic modelling of ORV costs versus benefits.
Highlights
The cost-benefit of raccoon rabies control strategies such as oral rabies vaccination (ORV) are under evaluation
The total expenses that may be attributed to terrestrial rabies in this study were $784,529 (36.6%) for the threeyear period, if including all vaccination clinic costs
The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) reimbursement system provided funds to cover 52% of the total terrestrial rabies-associated costs ($406,428), about 34% was covered by third party health insurers, about 8% was covered by donations for vaccination clinics, and about 7% was covered by the local health departments (LHDs)
Summary
The cost-benefit of raccoon rabies control strategies such as oral rabies vaccination (ORV) are under evaluation. As an initial quantification of the potential cost savings for a control program, the collection of selected rabies cost data was pilot tested for five counties in New York State (NYS) in a three-year period. Rabies has a significant impact on health system costs, both for animal rabies control and for human postexposure treatment [1]. Costs for rabies prevention have been estimated to be. The recent increase in wildlife rabies, in raccoons, has contributed significantly to the economic impact of rabies in the U.S, due to large increases in activities for prevention and control [3,4]. In 1999, Canada reported its first epizootic of raccoon rabies [8]
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