Hi all…if you’ve wondered about what a cryptosporidiosis outbreak costs in a city of just over 120,000 inhabitants then you’ll be interested in this paper in the journal “Emerging Infectious Diseases.” It contains a very detailed estimate of the costs of a 2007 waterborne outbreak of Cryptosporidium homi­nis which occurred in Galway, western Ireland. The authors’ estimate “that the cost of the outbreak was >€19 million (≈€120,000/day of the outbreak). The US dollar equivalent based on today’s exchange rates would be $22.44 million (≈$142,000/day of the outbreak).” They report that “costs included are consistent with those included in previous economic assessments of waterborne outbreaks of infectious diseases.” This is important for comparing economic assessments associated with drinking water disease outbreaks. Figure 1 nicely summarizes these in a format which can be easily digested.

I found it somewhat surprising that outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis are common in Ireland. During 2011–2014, a total of 100 outbreakswere reported that included 305 cases. Surveillance/reporting there must be better than in most jurisdictions.

The paper is freely accessible at: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/23/10/15-2037_article and https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/23/10/pdfs/15-2037.pdf

Bill

Economic Assessment of Waterborne Outbreak of Cryptosporidiosis

Aksana Chyzheuskaya, Martin Cormican, Raghavendra Srivinas, Diarmuid O’Donovan, Martina Prendergast, Cathal O’Donoghue, Dearbháile Morris (2017)

Emerging Infectious Diseases, 23(10), 1650-1656. https://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid2310.152037.

ABSTRACT: “In 2007, a waterborne outbreak of Cryptosporidium hominis infection occurred in western Ireland, resulting in 242 laboratory-confirmed cases and an uncertain number of unconfirmed cases. A boil water notice was in place for 158 days that affected 120,432 persons residing in the area, businesses, visitors, and commuters. This outbreak represented the largest outbreak of cryptosporidiosis in Ireland. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cost of this outbreak. We adopted a societal perspective in estimating costs associated with the outbreak. Economic cost estimated was based on totaling direct and indirect costs incurred by public and private agencies. The cost of the outbreak was estimated based on 2007 figures. We estimate that the cost of the outbreak was >€19 million (≈€120,000/day of the outbreak). The US dollar equivalent based on today’s exchange rates would be $22.44 million (≈$142,000/day of the outbreak). This study highlights the economic need for a safe drinking water supply.”