Estimating the cost of illness and burden of disease associated with the 2014-2015 chikungunya outbreak in the U.S. Virgin Islands. 2019

Leora R Feldstein, and Esther M Ellis, and Ali Rowhani-Rahbar, and Morgan J Hennessey, and J Erin Staples, and M Elizabeth Halloran, and Marcia R Weaver
Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, Washington, United States of America.

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), an alphavirus that causes fever and severe polyarthralgia, swept through the Americas in 2014 with almost 2 million suspected or confirmed cases reported by April 2016. In this study, we estimate the direct medical costs, cost of lost wages due to absenteeism, and years lived with disability (YLD) associated with the 2014-2015 CHIKV outbreak in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI). For this analysis, we used surveillance data from the USVI Department of Health, medical cost data from three public hospitals in USVI, and data from two studies of laboratory-positive cases up to 12 months post illness. On average, employed case-patients missed 9 days of work in the 12 months following their disease onset, which resulted in an estimated cost of $15.5 million. Estimated direct healthcare costs were $2.9 million for the first 2 months and $0.6 million for 3-12 months following the outbreak. The total estimated cost associated with the outbreak ranged from $14.8 to $33.4 million (approximately 1% of gross domestic product), depending on the proportion of the population infected with symptomatic disease, degree of underreporting, and proportion of cases who were employed. The estimated YLDs associated with long-term sequelae from the CHIKV outbreak in the USVI ranged from 599-1,322. These findings highlight the significant economic burden of the recent CHIKV outbreak in the USVI and will aid policy-makers in making informed decisions about prevention and control measures for inevitable, future CHIKV outbreaks.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D002648 Child A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL. Children
D004196 Disease Outbreaks Sudden increase in the incidence of a disease. The concept includes EPIDEMICS and PANDEMICS. Outbreaks,Infectious Disease Outbreaks,Disease Outbreak,Disease Outbreak, Infectious,Disease Outbreaks, Infectious,Infectious Disease Outbreak,Outbreak, Disease,Outbreak, Infectious Disease,Outbreaks, Disease,Outbreaks, Infectious Disease
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000328 Adult A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available. Adults
D014767 United States Virgin Islands A group of islands in the Lesser Antilles in the West Indies, the three main islands being St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John. The capital is Charlotte Amalie. Before 1917 the U.S. Virgin Islands were held by the Danish and called the Danish West Indies but the name was changed when the United States acquired them by purchase. Virgin Islands of the United States
D017281 Cost of Illness The personal cost of disease which may be economic, social, or psychological. The cost of illness may be reflected in absenteeism, productivity, response to treatment, peace of mind, or QUALITY OF LIFE. It differs from HEALTH CARE COSTS, the societal cost of providing services related to the delivery of health care. Burden Of Disease,Burden of Illness,Disease Burden,Disease Costs,Cost of Disease,Cost of Sickness,Costs of Disease,Disease Cost,Economic Burden of Disease,Sickness Cost,Burden Of Diseases,Burden, Disease,Cost, Disease,Disease Burdens,Illness Burden,Illness Burdens,Illness Cost,Illness Costs,Sickness Costs
D062665 Epidemiological Monitoring Collection, analysis, and interpretation of data about the frequency, distribution, and consequences of disease or health conditions, for use in the planning, implementing, and evaluating public health programs. Epidemiologic Monitoring,Epidemiologic Surveillance,Monitoring, Epidemiologic,Epidemiologic Surveillances,Monitoring, Epidemiological,Surveillance, Epidemiologic,Surveillances, Epidemiologic
D065632 Chikungunya Fever An acute infection caused by a mosquito-borne alphavirus CHIKUNGUNYA VIRUS characterized by RASH; FEVER; JOINT PAINS; CONJUNCTIVITIS; MENINGOENCEPHALITIS; LYMPHOPENIA; and THROMBOCYTOPENIA. Chickungunya Fever,Chikungunya Virus Infection,Chickungunya Fevers,Chikungunya Fevers,Chikungunya Virus Infections,Fever, Chickungunya,Fever, Chikungunya,Infection, Chikungunya Virus

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