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Author:
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Navas, Encarna; Torner Gràcia, Núria; Broner, Sonia; Godoy i García, Pere; Martínez, Anna; Bartolomé, Rosa; Domínguez García, Àngela
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Notes:
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Background: To determine the direct and indirect costs of outbreaks of acute viral gastroenteritis (AVG) due to
norovirus in closed institutions (hospitals, social health centers or nursing homes) and the community in Catalonia
in 2010–11.
Methods: Information on outbreaks were gathered from the reports made by epidemiological surveillance units.
Direct costs (medical visits, hospital stays, drug treatment, sample processing, transport, diagnostic tests, monitoring
and control of the outbreaks investigated) and indirect costs (lost productivity due to work absenteeism, caregivers
time and working hours lost due to medical visits) were calculated.
Results: Twenty-seven outbreaks affecting 816 people in closed institutions and 74 outbreaks affecting 1,940 people
in the community were detected. The direct and indirect costs of outbreaks were € 131,997.36 (€ 4,888.79 per outbreak)
in closed institutions and € 260,557.16 (€ 3,521.04 per outbreak) in community outbreaks. The cost per case
was € 161.76 in outbreaks in closed institutions and € 134.31 in community outbreaks. The main costs were
surveillance unit monitoring (€ 116,652.93), laboratory diagnoses (€ 119,950.95), transport of samples (€ 69,970.90),
medical visits (€ 25,250.50) and hospitalization (€ 13,400.00).
Conclusions: The cost of outbreaks of acute viral gastroenteritis due to norovirus obtained in this study was influenced
by the number of people affected and the severity of the outbreak, which determined hospitalizations and
work absenteeism. Urgent reporting of outbreaks would allow the implementation of control measures that
could reduce the numbers affected and the duration of the illness and thus the costs derived from them.
This work was supported by the National Plan of I+D+I 2008-2011 and
ISCIII-Subdirección General de Evaluación y Fomento de la Investigación
[Project PI12/02079] and cofounded by FEDER, and the Catalan Agency for
the Management of Grants for University Research [AGAUR Grant number
2014/ SGR 1403]. |
