Economic impacts of Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP) in Africa Tambi,

CBPP is a disease of economic importance because of the high morbidity and mortality losses it causes to cattle. The financial implications of these losses are of great significance to both cattle owners and to the nation. Control of CBPP is therefore important as a way to salvage the losses and increase the incomes of cattle owners. Before a control program is implemented however, it is important to evaluate the economic impacts of CBPP and determine whether a control program would be economically viable. This analysis was undertaken to evaluate the economic cost of CBPP and estimate returns to investments in its control in a sample of twelve countries (Burkina Faso, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Tanzania and Uganda). A spreadsheet economic model was developed in Microsoft Excel and CBPP epidemiological and economic disease control expenditures. Production losses comprised of cattle deaths and reductions in beef, milk and animal power. The estimated monetary value of production losses averaged 2.3 million Euros per country for endemic CBPP and 3.8 million Euros for epidemic CBPP. Estimated economic cost averaged 3.4 million and 5.3 million Euros for endemic and epidemic CBPP respectively. Ethiopia, Kenya and Mali each incur economic costs in excess of 5 million Euros. Benefit-cost analysis was used to compare the value of the incremental benefits with the value of the incremental costs in order to establish whether or not CBPP control is economically viable.