[Cost-benefit analysis of vector control in areas of potential dengue transmission].

Objectives: To evaluate the cost-benefit of an intervention utilizing fumigation against adult mosquitoes along with actions to control immature Aedes aegypti to prevent transmission in a high-risk area.

Methods: A cost-benefit analysis was performed from the social perspective. A program to control both adult mosquitoes and immature forms was compared to a nonintervention hypothesis, from January to April 2007, in the city of Clorinda, Argentina. Direct costs, as well as indirect and intangible benefits, were taken into account and standardized in international dollars (I$) using purchasing power parity. An incidence rate of 50 cases of dengue per 1000 inhabitants was used in the non-intervention hypothesis.

Results: From January to April 2007 there were 176 cases of dengue in Clorinda, but only five were autochthonous. The net present value was I$ 196,879 with the control strategy, whereas the non-intervention was calculated to be I$ -106,724, indicating a savings of I$ 303,602 (I$ 6.46 per inhabitant) for the intervention. The sensitivity analysis showed that, with more than 1363 cases of dengue (total incidence rate of 29 per 1000 inhabitants) and one case of dengue hemorrhagic fever, there is a cost-benefit to intervention.

Conclusions: The results suggest that vector control, including fumigation of adult mosquitoes, should be considered in high-risk areas as a cost-effective option for nonendemic countries.