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The health and economic burden of rotavirus disease in Belgium

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Abstract

For health economic evaluations of rotavirus vaccination, estimates of the health and cost burden of rotavirus are required. Due to differences in health care systems and surveillance organisations, this is difficult to achieve by imputing estimates from one country to others. This study aimed to estimate the burden of rotavirus disease in Belgium. In children younger than 7 years of age, rotavirus is predicted to account annually for about 5,600 hospitalisations (676:100,000 children); 26,800 outpatient, general practitioner and paediatrician visits; and about 44,600 episodes for which no medical care is sought. This burden is estimated to represent direct costs of 7.7 million € and indirect costs of 12.8 million €. Rotavirus disease causes a substantial health and economic burden in Belgium.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful for access to as yet unpublished materials and/or constructive advice from P. Deckers (AZ Vesalius Campus St Jacobus), F. Hulstaert, M. Huybrechts, D. Ramaekers and S. Van de Sande (KCE), M. Carpentier (CHR de la Citadelle), J. Senterre (CHU Liège), J. Lévy (CHU Saint-Pierre), C. Potvliege (CHU Tivoli), M. Callens, L. Cools, R. Mertens, Y. Van houte (NACSF), P. Neels (EMEA), S. Baetens, L. Schittecatte, N. Marin-Baldo Vink (FOD), M. Jit (HPA, UK), J. Collard, G. Ducoffre, Y. Dupont, T. Lernout (SIPH) P. Goubau (UCL), J. Matthijnssens, S. Simoens (KUL), M. Lontie (Laboratorium MCH), K. Van Vaerenbergh (Onze-Lieve-Vrouwziekenhuis Aalst), M. Postma (RUG, the Netherlands), A. Vertruyen (St Vincentius Ziekenhuis, Antwerpen), G. Top (Flemish community), B. Swennen (ULB), H. Theeten, M. Van der Wielen (UA), L. Mahieu, B. Van Overmeire, J. Ramet, M. Wojciechowski (UZA), J. Plum (UZG), M. Raes (Virga Jesse Hospital), and G. Coppens (Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg Campus St. Jan).

This study was cofunded by the Belgian Health Care Knowledge Centre and the Simulation models of infectious disease transmission and control processes (SIMID), a strategic basic research project funded by the Institute for the Promotion of Innovation by Science and Technology in Flanders (IWT), project number 060081. The study also benefited from discussions within the Improving Public Health Policy in Europe through Modelling and Economic Evaluation of Interventions for the Control of Infectious Diseases (POLYMOD) project, funded by the European Commission (SP22-CT-2004-502085).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unit for Health Economics and Modelling Infectious Diseases, Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination, Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute, University of Antwerp (CDE), Universiteitsplein 1, 2610, Wilrijk (Antwerp), Belgium

    Joke Bilcke, Pierre Van Damme & Philippe Beutels

  2. National Alliance of Christian Sickness Funds, Haachtsesteenweg 579 postbus 40, 1031, Brussel, Belgium

    Frank De Smet

  3. Scientific Institute of Public Health, Rue Juliette Wytsman 14-16, 1050, Bruxelles, Belgium

    Germaine Hanquet

  4. Laboratory of Clinical and Epidemiological Virology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, University of Leuven, Minderbroedersstraat 10 blok x - bus 1030, 3000, Leuven, Belgium

    Marc Van Ranst

  5. School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia

    Philippe Beutels

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  1. Joke Bilcke
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  2. Pierre Van Damme
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Correspondence to Joke Bilcke.

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Bilcke, J., Van Damme, P., De Smet, F. et al. The health and economic burden of rotavirus disease in Belgium. Eur J Pediatr 167, 1409–1419 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-008-0684-3

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