Escherichia coli O157:H7; an economic assessment of an outbreak

Abstract

The impact on the health of cases was considerable and the costs were high. Every effort should be made to prevent the disease and to identify and control outbreaks quickly.

Economic Impact of E. Coli O111 Outbreak in 1995 in Australia

“…The findings of this study are supported by [3,14,24] . Eighty seven percent of costs are incurred due to productivity loss from E. coli O157: H7 foodborne illness in the USA [23] 94% costs were due to productivity loss in UK [2] . However, in Japan less than 40% of the total costs were due to loss of productivity.…”

“…A higher level (97%) of the productivity losses were due to premature death in USA [23] and 76% loss were due to premature death in UK [2] . The variation of productivity loss due to premature death might be due to variation of mortality rate from the outbreak.…”

“…Age and sex distribution [2] : Reported that almost 50% of the cases were under 5 years and 70% under 16 years [9] . Reported the median age of 23 patients was 4 years.…”

“…These are a matter of concern for the community and the government alike. Foodborne illnesses entail costs not only to the ill person and the immediate family, but also are a cause of major economic cost to the food industry in producing and marketing food, reducing consumer confidence and to public health regulations and enforcement that set ground rules for food production and preparation [1,2,3] . Estimation of costs of foodborne illness is thus important for policy decision and allocation of necessary resources to undertake a suitable control program.…”

“…Estimation of costs of foodborne illness is thus important for policy decision and allocation of necessary resources to undertake a suitable control program. Several studies on economic impact have been undertaken in the UK [2,4] , the USA [5,6] and Canada [7] . Australia has experienced outbreaks of foodborne diseases since 1980.…”