Human Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics
Volume 13, Issue 5, 2017, Pages 1084-1090

Cost analysis of measles in refugees arriving at Los Angeles International Airport from Malaysia (Article) (Open Access)

Coleman M.S. , Burke H.M. , Welstead B.L. , Mitchell T. , Taylor E.M. , Shapovalov D. , Maskery B.A. , Joo H.* , Weinberg M.
  • a Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States
  • b Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States
  • c Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States
  • d Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States
  • e Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States
  • f International Organization for Migration, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • g Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States
  • h Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States
  • i Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States

Abstract

Background On August 24, 2011, 31 US-bound refugees from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (KL) arrived in Los Angeles. One of them was diagnosed with measles post-arrival. He exposed others during a flight, and persons in the community while disembarking and seeking medical care. As a result, 9 cases of measles were identified. Methods We estimated costs of response to this outbreak and conducted a comparative cost analysis examining what might have happened had all US-bound refugees been vaccinated before leaving Malaysia. Results State-by-state costs differed and variously included vaccination, hospitalization, medical visits, and contact tracing with costs ranging from $621 to $35,115. The total of domestic and IOM Malaysia reported costs for US-bound refugees were $137,505 [range: $134,531 - $142,777 from a sensitivity analysis]. Had all US-bound refugees been vaccinated while in Malaysia, it would have cost approximately $19,646 and could have prevented 8 measles cases. Conclusion A vaccination program for US-bound refugees, supporting a complete vaccination for US-bound refugees, could improve refugees' health, reduce importations of vaccine-preventable diseases in the United States, and avert measles response activities and costs. © 2017, This article not subject to US copyright law.

Author Keywords

outbreak measles Vaccination Cost Refugee

Index Keywords

hospitalization refugee transmission Cost benefit analysis Airports economics Costs and Cost Analysis cost human Refugees travel related disease United States Young Adult Humans Adolescent California male case report Oklahoma female preventive health service Malaysia Communicable Diseases, Imported Disease Outbreaks Article epidemic measles vaccine Air Travel communicable disease aviation measles mumps rubella vaccine Immunization Programs Travel-Related Illness vaccination Los Angeles measles airport
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85019599258&doi=10.1080%2f21645515.2016.1271518&partnerID=40&md5=08a456ceeaeeedc5ac6c9212e9d11312
DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2016.1271518
ISSN: 21645515
Cited by: 5
Original Language: English