@article{7d5e639ef6d94a7d9d92da45eb04e13e,
title = "Economic impact of meningococcal outbreaks in Brazil and Colombia",
abstract = "Background. The impact of meningitis outbreaks is substantial. We aim to calculate the costs of meningococcal outbreaks in Brazil and Colombia from the healthcare system perspective. Methods. A review of the literature was performed on costs associated with meningococcal outbreak in Latin America. Structured interviews capturing information about the use of resources, expenses allocated to treatment of infection, immunization campaigns, and response activities during the outbreak and disease surveillance preand postoutbreak were directed at local health authorities in Brazil and Colombia to foster a greater understanding of the economic impact of meningococcal outbreaks. All costs were expressed in 2014 US values. Results. The Vila Brandina outbreak in Brazil reported 3 cases that were associated with a total investigation and outbreak management cost of $34 425 ($11 475 per notified case), representing 2.7 more than the annual gross domestic product per capita in Brazil. In contrast, the outbreak in Cartagena de Indias in Colombia reported 6 cases at a cost of the disease response phase of $735 or 9.5% of the annual gross domestic product per capita ($123 per notified case). For the disease surveillance phase, the costs ranged from $3935 (in Cartagena de Indias) to $6667 (in Vila Brandina). Serogroups B and C were responsible for the majority of meningococcal outbreaks reported in Brazil and Colombia. Conclusions. Findings of this study underscore the importance of meningococcal disease in the region. Future research should focus on a more detailed investigation of costs of meningococcal outbreaks covering all phases of an outbreak.",
keywords = "Caregiver costs, Indirect costs, Latin American countries, Neisseria meningitidis, Outbreaks",
author = "Dagna Constenla and A. Carvalho and {Alvis Guzm{\'a}n}, N.",
note = "Funding Information: This paper is dedicated to Dr. Ciro de Quadros for his guidance, vision, and support in fostering a greater understanding of the changing epidemiology and costs of meningococcal disease. Financial support. This study was funded by Sabin Vaccine Institute. Potential conflicts of interest. All authors: No reported conflicts. All authors have submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest. Funding Information: We thank Cristina Garcia and the entire Adult Global Estimation of Disease Burden and Distribution of Serotype of Serious Pneumococcal and Meningococcal Disease team for sharing materials and experience from Johns Hopkins University's International Vaccine Access Center's Global Disease Burden project. We are grateful to Barbara B. Landreth (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Public Health Library and Information Center) for assistance with the updated literature search and the retrieval of full text articles. We are also grateful to Claudia Lopes and Carlos Casta?eda for assistance with data abstraction regarding the literature review. In addition, we thank Brigina Kemp, Alvaro P?rez Ihl, Mar?a Carrasquilla Sotomayor, Nelson Jose Alvis Zakzuk, and Rodrigo Nogueira Angerami for assistance with the data collection of the cost study. We also thank all regional researchers and economists who shared data and experience with us and the local physicians and parents who took part in the economic surveys. This paper is dedicated to Dr. Ciro de Quadros for his guidance, vision, and support in fostering a greater understanding of the changing epidemiology and costs of meningococcal disease. This study was funded by Sabin Vaccine Institute. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author 2015.",
year = "2015",
month = dec,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1093/ofid/ofv167",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "2",
journal = "Open Forum Infectious Diseases",
issn = "2328-8957",
publisher = "Oxford University Press",
number = "4",
}