Herpes Infections Recently Cost $35 Billion Globally

THURSDAY, July 18, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Herpes simplex virus (HSV)-2 and HSV-1 infections and their consequences cost $35 billion globally in 2016, according to a study published online July 2 in BMC Global and Public Health.

Nathorn Chaiyakunapruk, Pharm.D., Ph.D., from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, and colleagues estimated the global economic impact of genital HSV-2 and HSV-1 infections. Disease burden was based on previously published global disease burden studies in 2016 for 194 countries, while estimates of health care resource utilization were sourced from a literature review and online interviews with 20 experts from all six World Health Organization regions.

The researchers found that genital HSV-2 ($31.2 billion) and HSV-1 ($4.0 billion) infections and their consequences were costly globally. The greatest economic burden emanated from the combined Americas and Western Pacific regions, which accounted for almost two-thirds of the global burden ($20.8 billion). A large proportion of the economic burden was borne by high- and upper middle-income countries (76.6 percent or $27.0 billion). HSV-2 recurrence drove costs.

"HSV prevention interventions have the potential to avert a large economic burden in addition to disease burden; thus, efforts to accelerate HSV vaccine development are crucial," the authors write.

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