Evaluation of cost-effective strategies for rabies post-exposure vaccination in low-income countries.
<h4>Background</h4>Prompt post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is essential in preventing the fatal onset of disease in persons exposed to rabies. Unfortunately, life-saving rabies vaccines and biologicals are often neither accessible nor affordable, particularly to the poorest sectors of soc...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2011-03-01
|
| Series: | PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases |
| Online Access: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/21408121/?tool=EBI |
| _version_ | 1818905308220620800 |
|---|---|
| author | Katie Hampson Sarah Cleaveland Deborah Briggs |
| author_facet | Katie Hampson Sarah Cleaveland Deborah Briggs |
| author_sort | Katie Hampson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <h4>Background</h4>Prompt post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is essential in preventing the fatal onset of disease in persons exposed to rabies. Unfortunately, life-saving rabies vaccines and biologicals are often neither accessible nor affordable, particularly to the poorest sectors of society who are most at risk and upon whom the largest burden of rabies falls. Increasing accessibility, reducing costs and preventing delays in delivery of PEP should therefore be prioritized.<h4>Methodology/principal findings</h4>We analyzed different PEP vaccination regimens and evaluated their relative costs and benefits to bite victims and healthcare providers. We found PEP vaccination to be an extremely cost-effective intervention (from $200 to less than $60/death averted). Switching from intramuscular (IM) administration of PEP to equally efficacious intradermal (ID) regimens was shown to result in significant savings in the volume of vaccine required to treat the same number of patients, which could mitigate vaccine shortages, and would dramatically reduce the costs of implementing PEP. We present financing mechanisms that would make PEP more affordable and accessible, could help subsidize the cost for those most in need, and could even support new and existing rabies control and prevention programs.<h4>Conclusions/significance</h4>We conclude that a universal switch to ID delivery would improve the affordability and accessibility of PEP for bite victims, leading to a likely reduction in human rabies deaths, as well as being economical for healthcare providers. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T21:21:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ea499468232946dd901bf976eb8e1f47 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1935-2727 1935-2735 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T21:21:16Z |
| publishDate | 2011-03-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases |
| spelling | doaj.art-ea499468232946dd901bf976eb8e1f472022-12-21T20:05:13ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases1935-27271935-27352011-03-0153e98210.1371/journal.pntd.0000982Evaluation of cost-effective strategies for rabies post-exposure vaccination in low-income countries.Katie HampsonSarah CleavelandDeborah Briggs<h4>Background</h4>Prompt post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is essential in preventing the fatal onset of disease in persons exposed to rabies. Unfortunately, life-saving rabies vaccines and biologicals are often neither accessible nor affordable, particularly to the poorest sectors of society who are most at risk and upon whom the largest burden of rabies falls. Increasing accessibility, reducing costs and preventing delays in delivery of PEP should therefore be prioritized.<h4>Methodology/principal findings</h4>We analyzed different PEP vaccination regimens and evaluated their relative costs and benefits to bite victims and healthcare providers. We found PEP vaccination to be an extremely cost-effective intervention (from $200 to less than $60/death averted). Switching from intramuscular (IM) administration of PEP to equally efficacious intradermal (ID) regimens was shown to result in significant savings in the volume of vaccine required to treat the same number of patients, which could mitigate vaccine shortages, and would dramatically reduce the costs of implementing PEP. We present financing mechanisms that would make PEP more affordable and accessible, could help subsidize the cost for those most in need, and could even support new and existing rabies control and prevention programs.<h4>Conclusions/significance</h4>We conclude that a universal switch to ID delivery would improve the affordability and accessibility of PEP for bite victims, leading to a likely reduction in human rabies deaths, as well as being economical for healthcare providers.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/21408121/?tool=EBI |
| spellingShingle | Katie Hampson Sarah Cleaveland Deborah Briggs Evaluation of cost-effective strategies for rabies post-exposure vaccination in low-income countries. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases |
| title | Evaluation of cost-effective strategies for rabies post-exposure vaccination in low-income countries. |
| title_full | Evaluation of cost-effective strategies for rabies post-exposure vaccination in low-income countries. |
| title_fullStr | Evaluation of cost-effective strategies for rabies post-exposure vaccination in low-income countries. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluation of cost-effective strategies for rabies post-exposure vaccination in low-income countries. |
| title_short | Evaluation of cost-effective strategies for rabies post-exposure vaccination in low-income countries. |
| title_sort | evaluation of cost effective strategies for rabies post exposure vaccination in low income countries |
| url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/21408121/?tool=EBI |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT katiehampson evaluationofcosteffectivestrategiesforrabiespostexposurevaccinationinlowincomecountries AT sarahcleaveland evaluationofcosteffectivestrategiesforrabiespostexposurevaccinationinlowincomecountries AT deborahbriggs evaluationofcosteffectivestrategiesforrabiespostexposurevaccinationinlowincomecountries |