Direct vs Indirect Cost of Quarantine on the Healthcare System Due to the Monkey Pox Virus
Author(s)
Alshahrani A1, Alqahtani S2
1Taif University, college of Pharmacy, Taif, Saudi Arabia, 2King Khalid University, Abha, 14, Saudi Arabia
Presentation Documents
OBJECTIVES: This research seeks to estimate the direct and indirect costs needed to set up a quarantine facility to curb the spread of the Monkey Pox virus.
METHODS: To do so, the study simulates a quarantine facility housing 100 Monkey Pox virus patients in Saudi Arabia for the incubation period (14 days). The direct costs include accommodation expenses and treatment costs.
RESULTS: On the other hand, the indirect costs of implementing a quarantine are measured in terms of lost productivity after the infected population fails to attend work. The direct and indirect costs of the quarantine were almost similar, $152,500 and $129,500, respectively. However, most of the direct costs ($150,000) include accommodation expenses. Hence, if a patient were to self-isolate at home, the indirect costs of quarantine would by far surpass the direct costs.
CONCLUSIONS: the study concludes that enforcing quarantine would adversely affect the economy due to job absenteeism. Hence, considering that the Monkey Pox virus poses a low risk to the general public and can be cured with no or affordable prescriptions, other strategies such as mass vaccinations, remote working, and routine hygiene practices should instead be used to tame the spread of the virus.
Conference/Value in Health Info
Value in Health, Volume 27, Issue 12, S2 (December 2024)
Code
EE183
Topic
Economic Evaluation, Epidemiology & Public Health, Methodological & Statistical Research
Topic Subcategory
Cost-comparison, Effectiveness, Utility, Benefit Analysis, Public Health
Disease
Vaccines