[Cost analysis of an official campaign for animal disease control: the example of Senegal in 1996]

A realistic estimation of the cost of government campaigns to control rinderpest and contagious bovine pleuropneumonia is essential in order to determine profitable fees for private veterinarians with a health mandate in Senegal. A cost analysis of a vaccination campaign, organised by the Veterinary Services in Senegal between 1995 and 1996, involving 547,735 cattle, was conducted. Revenue and total costs were 50 CFA francs and 110 +/- 37 CFA francs per head, respectively. Staff-related costs accounted for 39.41% +/- 7.62% of the total cost. The gross and net margins corresponded to the average subsidies of 42 +/- 27 CFA francs and 60 +/- 37 CFA francs, respectively. Simulations showed better relative efficiency for private veterinarians who vaccinate at a price of between 97 and 84 CFA francs per head. Economies of scale varied from 8 to 13 CFA francs per head when the vaccination team increased the number of animals initially vaccinated (16,000 head) by 25% and 44%, respectively. This indicates that a fee of 125 CFA francs per head should guarantee the profitability of compulsory vaccination for private veterinarians.