The Economics of a Successful Raccoon Rabies Elimination Program on Long Island,New York

Raccoon rabies is endemic in the eastern u.s.; however,an epizootic had not been confirmed on long island,new york until 2004. an oral rabies vaccination (orv) program was initiated soon after the first rabies-positive raccoon was discovered,and continued until raccoon rabies was eliminated from the vaccination zone. the cost-effectiveness and economic impact of this rabies control program were unknown. a public health surveillance data set was evaluated following the orv program on long island,and is used here as a case study in the health economics of rabies prevention and control efforts. a benefit-cost analysis was performed to determine the cost-effectiveness of the program,and a regional economic model was used to estimate the macroeconomic impacts of raccoon rabies elimination to new york state. the cost of the program,approximately $2.6 million,was recovered within eight years by reducing costs associated with post-exposure prophylaxis (pep) and veterinary diagnostic testing of rabies suspect animals. by 2019,the state of new york is projected to benefit from the orv program by almost $27 million. the benefit-cost ratio will reach 1.71 in 2019,meaning that for every dollar spent on the program $1.71 will be saved. regional economic modeling estimated employment growth of over 100 jobs and a gross domestic product (gdp) increase of $9.2 million through 2019. this analysis suggests that baiting to eliminate rabies in a geographically constrained area can provide positive economic returns. © 2016 public library of science. all rights reserved.