Placing A Monetary Value On The Human Health Component Of Zoonotic Diseases A methodological note with an application to cysticercosis in Africa

Publication date: Available online 28 November 2019Source: Preventive Veterinary MedicineAuthor(s): Daniel Herrera-Araujo, Orsolya Mikecz, Ugo Pica-CiamarraAbstractIdeally, policies aiming to tackle zoonotic diseases in animals and reduce the burden of disease in humans should be based on an assessment of the cost and benefits of alternative interventions. However, while the cost of actions targeting diseases in animals and humans and the benefits in terms of increased livestock production can be monetized, it is a challenge to monetize improvements in the quality of life or to life expectancy extensions in humans in zoonotic policy evaluations. This paper proposes a method to monetize the human health benefits derived from zoonotic disease reduction and applies it to cysticercosis in Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda.We propose a three-step approach to estimate the human health component of the monetary impact of zoonoses. First, we proxy society’s willingness to pay to avoid a disability adjusted life year (DALY) using the annualized value of statistical life (VSL) estimated by of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Second, we implement a benefit transfer methodology to transfer the US value into the context of the sampled countries, accounting for differences in income levels. Finally, we use the 2016 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) data on cysticercosis to estimate its monetary impact on human health. All results are estimate...
Source: Preventive Veterinary Medicine - Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research