Based on a dataset and a typology of specific costs related to damage and loss – direct medical costs, direct non-medical costs and indirect costs?Direct medical costs: defined as expenses related to diagnosis, hospital admission, hospitalization, outpatient cases, patient care and treatment of the disease, whether paid by patients or by health care providers; Direct non-medical costs: which relate to other expenses related to the disease state outside of treatment, such as transport, food and accommodation of patients; Indirect costs: associated with lost productivity due to illness, morbidity or premature death. – caused by dengue, chikungunya and Zika, this study constitutes the most recent, most complete, best standardized, most robust and most accurate compilation of the costs associated with invasive Aedes species and diseases transmitted by these mosquitoes, reported worldwide between 1975 and 2020. It covered 166 countries and territories over a period of 45 years.
Little known, underestimated and yet increasing costs induced by mosquitoes Aedes and the viruses they transmit
If the cumulative total of expenditure linked to Aedes and the diseases they transmit amounts, for the period 1975-2020, to at least 94.7 billion dollars – an average annual cost of 3.29 billion with a maximum of 20.9 billion in 2013 – this figure nevertheless remains largely underestimated, since it is based solely on the real costs reported in the scientific literature. Researchers show that, like the incidence of these diseases, these costs have increased massively over the past three decades and may have increased 14-fold in the period following the emergence of Zika and chikungunya. . The reported costs are mainly related to direct medical expenses due to dengue transmitted by Aedes aegypti, followed by losses and indirect costs, which are largely absorbed by individuals or the community. The study also indicates that costs are highest in areas where the two Aedes species are present together, which is the case in the Americas and Asia, rather than in areas where there are uniquely Aedes aegypti Or Aedes albopictus.
Underfunded vector control
While the costs linked to losses and damages induced by these mosquitoes and these diseases have increased considerably over the last decades, investments dedicated to the prevention and management of this health risk are emerging (surveillance, vector control and other preventive actions , notably the development of vaccines) have evolved very little over the same period. They remained constantly lower than the damage costs, up to ten times lower. The authors of the study thus highlight the chronic underfinancing of vector control, identified as a factor favoring the dispersion of Aedes and disease transmission. They suggest that investments dedicated to the development and implementation of effective and sustainable prevention actions should make it possible to significantly reduce these economic impacts, and are necessary to manage the health risk linked to mosquitoes. Aedes on the long term.
Towards new integrated vector risk management strategies, with the support of the international community
Analysis of costs induced by mosquitoes Aedes and the viruses they transmit calls for the implementation of preventive management strategies for the health risk they represent. The diversity of costs incurred and the identification of the different actors directly concerned should make it possible to mobilize all stakeholders towards a common objective of sustainable and integrated management of vector risk, as recommended by international bodies. “Cost-effectiveness” studies coupled with social acceptability analyzes should help guide decisions to combine the methods and tools best suited to the local context.
The authors affirm that only societal changes and very committed international collaboration will allow the implementation of preventive actions, aimed at limiting the dispersal of invasive Aedes and the diseases they transmit throughout the world. This study represents an opportunity to act to preserve global health and reduce health inequalities. The authors also recommend intensifying efforts in managing the risks associated with other invasive alien species as well as other emerging diseases.
Reference
David Roiz, Paulina A. Pontifes, Fréderic Jourdain, Christophe Diagne, Boris Leroy, Anne-Charlotte Vaissière, María José Tolsá-García, Jean-Michel Salles, Fréderic Simard, Franck Courchamp. The rising global economic costs of invasive Aedes mosquitoes and Aedes-borne diseasesScience of The Total Environment, May 17, 2024. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173054.
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