American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
March 2014; 90 (3)
http://www.ajtmh.org/content/current

Editorial
Economic Burden of West Nile Virus in the United States
Alan D. T. Barrett
Am J Trop Med Hyg 2014 90:389-390; Published online February 10, 2014, doi:10.4269/ajtmh.14-0009
Full Text

Initial and Long-Term Costs of Patients Hospitalized with West Nile Virus Disease
J. Erin Staples*, Manjunath B. Shankar, James J. Sejvar, Martin I. Meltzer and Marc Fischer
Author Affiliations
Arboviral Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado; Prion and Health Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Division of Preparedness and Emerging Infections, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
http://www.ajtmh.org/content/90/3/402.abstract
Abst
There are no published data on the economic burden for specific West Nile virus (WNV) clinical syndromes (i.e., fever, meningitis, encephalitis, and acute flaccid paralysis [AFP]). We estimated initial hospital and lost-productivity costs from 80 patients hospitalized with WNV disease in Colorado during 2003; 38 of these patients were followed for 5 years to determine long-term medical and lost-productivity costs. Initial costs were highest for patients with AFP (median $25,117; range $5,385–$283,381) and encephalitis (median $20,105; range $3,965–$324,167). Long-term costs were highest for patients with AFP (median $22,628; range $624–$439,945) and meningitis (median $10,556; range $0–$260,748). Extrapolating from this small cohort to national surveillance data, we estimated the total cumulative costs of reported WNV hospitalized cases from 1999 through 2012 to be $778 million (95% confidence interval $673 million–$1.01 billion). These estimates can be used in assessing the cost-effectiveness of interventions to prevent WNV disease.
Disclaimer: The findings and conclusions of this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Importance of Cholera and Other Etiologies of Acute Diarrhea in Post-Earthquake Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Macarthur Charles, Glavdia G. Delva, Jethro Boutin, Karine Severe, Mireille Peck, Marie Marcelle abou, Peter F. Wright, and Jean W. Pape
Am J Trop Med Hyg 2014 90:511-517; Published online January 20, 2014, doi:10.4269/ajtmh.13-0514
Abstract

Pre-Travel Preparation of US Travelers Going Abroad to Provide Humanitarian Service, Global TravEpiNet 2009–2011
Rhett J. Stoney, Emily S. Jentes, Mark J. Sotir, Phyllis Kozarsky, Sowmya R. Rao, Regina C. LaRocque, Edward T. Ryan, and the Global TravEpiNet Consortium
Am J Trop Med Hyg 2014 90:553-559; Published online January 20, 2014, doi:10.4269/ajtmh.13-0479
href=”http://www.ajtmh.org/content/90/3/553.abstract”>Abstract

Effects of Malnutrition on Children’s Immunity to Bacterial Antigens in Northern Senegal
Lobna Gaayeb, Jean B. Sarr, Cecile Cames, Claire Pinçon, Jean-Baptiste Hanon, Mamadou O. Ndiath, Modou Seck, Fabien Herbert, Andre B. Sagna, Anne-Marie Schacht, Franck Remoue,
Gilles Riveau, and Emmanuel Hermann
Am J Trop Med Hyg 2014 90:566-573; Published online January 20, 2014, doi:10.4269/ajtmh.12-0657
Abstract