PEEM Guidelines 3
Guidelines for cost-effectiveness analysis of vector control
Many developing countries are devoting substantial resources to the prevention and control of vector-borne diseases. These resources are in limited supply and need to be wisely used. It is important, therefore, to design control measures well and to choose appropriate technologies, management systems and other elements of the control strategy, not an easy task given the variety of alternative control approaches possible.
These guidelines explain the principles and methods of cost-effectiveness analysis and its application to decisions about the control of vector-borne diseases, particularly the control of disease vectors.
The guidelines have three complementary objectives:
- to draw attention to the importance of assessing both the cost and the effectiveness of alternative strategies if good decisions are to be made about how to control vectors of human disease;
- to encourage the use of cost-effectiveness analysis not only in the planning and management of vector control interventions, but also in negotiations with ministries of finance and with external support agencies, where it can provide a sound argument for the allocation of funds to vector control;
- to stimulate the establishment of appropriate data collection systems that will make future analysis of vector control more straightforward.