Cost of 'Interventions' vs. Cost of the health system
The total cost of additional epidemic control measures - the
'interventions' - during '1993-95' in Macenta was estimated at US$183,550
(US$70,850 for the cholera control programme, US$60,700 for measles vaccination
with mobile teams and US$52,000 for the meningococcal meningitis mass
vaccination campaign). The cost was US$0.52 per capita for 3 years. This adds
5.75% to the total cost of the routine health system - estimated at US$3,195,000
for the triennial period - almost equally divided between cholera, measles and
meningococcal meningitis control (Figure 35).
Figure 35: Cost of epidemic control
interventions, 'Macenta 1993-95'
5.75% extra for interventions to control epidemics seems lows, if
one takes into account the following factors. First, that cholera, measles and
meningococcal meningitis accounted for between 4.1 and 9.3% of overall deaths
(Table 20), but that in the absence of these interventions the death toll could
have been twice as high (Table 33). Second, that this cost-estimate is a
worst-case scenario. This 5.75% estimated in Macenta for '1993-95' was probably
higher than in other prefectures, or for other time periods. During the
triennial period Macenta '1993-95' epidemics of cholera, measles and
meningococcal meningitis occurred. Meningococcal meningitis did only occur in
Macenta and Guéckédou, and did not occur during the remainder of the period
studied (1990-96), and cholera was more severe in Macenta than
elsewhere.
