Initial and Long-Term Costs of Patients Hospitalized with West Nile Virus Disease

J. Erin Staples Arboviral Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado; Prion and Health Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Division of Preparedness and Emerging Infections, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia

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Manjunath B. Shankar Arboviral Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado; Prion and Health Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Division of Preparedness and Emerging Infections, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia

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James J. Sejvar Arboviral Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado; Prion and Health Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Division of Preparedness and Emerging Infections, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia

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Martin I. Meltzer Arboviral Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado; Prion and Health Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Division of Preparedness and Emerging Infections, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia

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Marc Fischer Arboviral Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado; Prion and Health Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Division of Preparedness and Emerging Infections, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia

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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.13-0206
Volume/Issue:
Volume 90: Issue 3
Page(s):
402–409
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There are no published data on the economic burden for specific West Nile virus (WNV) clinical syndromes (i.e., fever, meningitis, encephalitis, and acute flaccid paralysis [AFP]). We estimated initial hospital and lost-productivity costs from 80 patients hospitalized with WNV disease in Colorado during 2003; 38 of these patients were followed for 5 years to determine long-term medical and lost-productivity costs. Initial costs were highest for patients with AFP (median $25,117; range $5,385–$283,381) and encephalitis (median $20,105; range $3,965–$324,167). Long-term costs were highest for patients with AFP (median $22,628; range $624–$439,945) and meningitis (median $10,556; range $0–$260,748). Extrapolating from this small cohort to national surveillance data, we estimated the total cumulative costs of reported WNV hospitalized cases from 1999 through 2012 to be $778 million (95% confidence interval $673 million–$1.01 billion). These estimates can be used in assessing the cost-effectiveness of interventions to prevent WNV disease.

Author Notes

* Address correspondence to J. Erin Staples, Arboviral Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3156 Rampart Road, Fort Collins, CO 80521. E-mail: AUV1@cdc.gov

Authors' addresses: J. Erin Staples and Marc Fischer, Arboviral Diseases Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Disease, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO, E-mails: auv1@cdc.gov and mxf2@cdc.gov. Manjunath B. Shankar and Martin I. Meltzer, Scientific and Program Services Branch, Division of Preparedness and Emerging Infections, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, E-mails: kiu8@cdc.gov and qzm4@cdc.gov. James J. Sejvar, Prion and Public Health Office, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, E-mail: zea3@cdc.gov.

Copyright:
© The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 2014
Received:
19 Apr 2013
|
Accepted:
27 Nov 2013
|
Published Online:
05 Mar 2014
Cover The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Print ISSN:
0002-9637
Online ISSN:
1476-1645
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