Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Author-Name: Roger Lee Mendoza
Title:  Leptospirosis in the Tropics: When Prevention Doesn't Easily Sell as a Ton of Cure
Abstract:  <b>Problem statement:</b> Human leptospirosis -- the most widespread zoonotic disease -- thrives in tropical and subtropical climates. It is seldom addressed <i>ex ante</i> or prior to an outbreak or expected outbreak by governments of high-risk countries. Whether common, post-exposure treatment with antimicrobial drugs is more cost-efficient than reducing animal reservoir populations was the overarching question that guided this study. A related question in this study was how to establish comparability of pertinent price or cost estimates. <b>Approach:</b> Annualized price samples of government-approved, antimicrobial therapies and proposed rat and other rodent chemical agents (rodenticides) were gathered from three leptospirosis-endemic countries: Brazil, the Philippines and Sri Lanka. Certain price data were adjusted for present value based on a linear cost accounting function. Two-tailed hypothesis-testing (&alpha; = 0.05) was performed to determine any statistically significant differences in pricing antimicrobial therapies and rodenticides in each country under investigation. <b>Results:</b> Shared socio-demographic characteristics of infected populations appear to support the need for <i>ex ante</i> containment of rat/rodent reservoir populations in tropical and subtropical countries. In each surveyed country, we found t<sub>crit</sub>>t<sub>obs</sub>>-t<sub>crit</sub>. Therefore, the null hypothesis, &micro;<sub>antimicrobial</sub> = &micro;<sub>rodenticides</sub> = &micro;<sub>antimicrobial</sub> - &micro;<sub>rodenticides</sub> = 0, could not be rejected in favor of the alternative, &micro;<sub>antimicrobial</sub> &ne; &micro;<sub>rodenticides</sub> = &micro;<sub>antimicrobial</sub> - &micro;<sub>rodenticides</sub> &ne; 0. <b>Conclusion:</b> Applications of Price Estimation (PE) methods in financial economics, such as present value, help optimize health decisions concerning zoonotic diseases. <i>Leptospira</i> transmission in Brazil, the Philippines and Sri Lanka illuminate the need for broad and cohesive policies that take into account zoocentric measures. These may be critical in high-risk, tropical and subtropical countries that periodically experience flooding, standing water and increased rainfall.
Keywords: Antibiotic prophylaxis, antimicrobial drugs, demonstration effects, <i>ex ante</i>, exposure, leptospirosis, present value, price estimation, rodenticides, zoocentric, zoonosis
Journal: American Journal of Economics and Business Administration
Pages: 307-316
Volume: 2
Issue: 3
Year: 2010
Month: September
DOI: 10.3844/ajebasp.2010.307.316
File-URL: https://thescipub.com/pdf/ajebasp.2010.307.316.pdf
File-Format: Application/pdf
File-URL: https://thescipub.com/abstract/ajebasp.2010.307.316
File-Format: text/html
Handle: RePEc:abk:jajeba:ajebasp.2010.307.316