Cost-benefit analysis of the tsutsugamushi disease prevention program in South Korea

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the economic value of the tsutsugamushi disease prevention program and to suggest whether to abolish or expand this program. A cost-benefit analysis was conducted to evaluate the economic feasibility of this prevention program. We collected cost data from 25 public health centers (PHCs) and the medical insurance data for all tsutsugamushi patients. We estimated the costs and benefits of the program using a macro-costing method. The estimated total cost was $1.22 million with a governmental cost of $697,000 and a cost of $521,000 to the PHCs. After the prevention program was implemented, $581 were salvaged from medical costs, $46 from non-medical costs, and $847 from productivity loss due to the reduced number of patients, with an estimated $6.66 million per year in total benefits of the program. The ratio of benefit to cost was found to be 5.5, making the economic value of the program significant. The net benefit should increase if the tsutsugamushi disease prevention program is continued and the implementation period is expanded to 10 years.