Abstract
Background: Rotavirus disease is associated with a substantial financial burden. Rotavirus gastroenteritis in children under 5 results in considerable medical resource utilization and burden for parents and society. Methods: For this study a modeling approach was employed to assess the financial burden of rotavirus disease in 4 European Union countries (Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom). Both direct medical costs to health authorities and indirect costs borne by society, parents, and employers were calculated. Results: The Purchasing-Power-Parity-adjusted direct cost expressed as a cost per exposure year, per child under 5, was highest in France (€12.26) and Belgium (€11.80) compared with the Netherlands (€8.13) and the United Kingdom (€7.67). The PurchasingPower-Parity-adjusted indirect cost was estimated to be highest in the United Kingdom (€15.47) and the Netherlands (€15.33) compared with France (€11.31) and Belgium (€10.24). The sum of the direct medical and indirect costs of rotavirus disease management was estimated to be €23.11 €0.70/yr per child under 5 years for all 4 countries. Conclusions: In countries where more emphasis was placed on first-line intervention (United Kingdom, the Netherlands), direct costs were lower than in countries where access to second-line healthcare support was more open (Belgium, France). The data suggest that the greater burden of financial responsibility of managing rotavirus disease in children was borne by society (higher in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands than in France and Belgium). In Europe investment in rotavirus disease management is substantial, therefore the medical and economic benefits of a vaccination strategy should be considered to reduce the medical and financial burden associated with acute rotavirus gastroenteritis.
Published Version
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