The Cost-Of-Illness Due to Rheumatic Heart Disease: National Estimates for Fiji
In this article, published in March 2020 in Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, researchers including the VoVRN’s David Bloom estimate for the first time the total cost of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) for Fiji from 2008 to 2012. RHD is a chronic valvular heart condition responsible for a heavy burden of premature deaths in low- and middle-income countries such as Fiji. Consequently, the total costs of RHD are important to health policy and research investment decisions. Using a prevalence-based, cost-of illness approach and novel primary data on RHD disease burden and costs, the article supports the idea that improved prevention strategies for RHD will likely have a substantial positive economic impact on the country
This has led to calls for the development of a Group A Streptococcus (GAS) vaccine, that would prevent RHD and avert significant costs.
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