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The potential role of suppressive therapy for sex partners in the prevention of neonatal herpes: a health economic analysis.
- Source :
-
Sexually Transmitted Infections . Dec2002, Vol. 78 Issue 6, p425-429. 5p. 1 Diagram, 3 Charts, 2 Graphs. - Publication Year :
- 2002
-
Abstract
- <bold>Background: </bold>The development of suppressive therapy and type specific tests for herpes infections allow for screening to reduce the risk of neonatal herpes.<bold>Objectives: </bold>To assess the potential effectiveness, cost effectiveness, and benefit of suppressive therapy among herpes simplex virus serodiscordant sex partners during pregnancy.<bold>Methods: </bold>Decision and economic analyses are used to compare the incidence and costs of neonatal herpes in California (2000) for three interventions: (1) no management; (2) current guidelines (caesarean delivery for women with lesions); (3) screening for women at risk and use of suppressive treatment in sex partners.<bold>Results: </bold>Screening and suppressive therapy are the most effective interventions, while current guidelines have limited effectiveness, but the latter provide the most cost effective results.<bold>Conclusions: </bold>While current guidelines are cost saving, they forgo a potential 82% decrease in neonatal herpes incidence that would be possible with screening and suppressive therapy if society were willing to pay the necessary US$363 000 per case prevented. To evaluate HSV screening and drug therapy completely, clinical trials and an economic assessment of infant mortality "value" to society are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- *PREVENTIVE medicine
*MEDICAL screening
*NEONATAL infections
*HERPESVIRUS diseases
*PREVENTION of communicable diseases
*HERPES genitalis prevention
*COMMUNICABLE disease epidemiology
*ACYCLOVIR
*ANTIVIRAL agents
*COMMUNICABLE diseases
*COMPARATIVE studies
*COST effectiveness
*HERPES genitalis
*RESEARCH methodology
*MEDICAL cooperation
*PREGNANCY complications
*PRENATAL care
*PRENATAL diagnosis
*QUESTIONNAIRES
*RESEARCH
*EVALUATION research
*DISEASE incidence
*VERTICAL transmission (Communicable diseases)
*SEXUAL partners
*INFECTIOUS disease transmission
*THERAPEUTICS
PREVENTION of pregnancy complications
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 13684973
- Volume :
- 78
- Issue :
- 6
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Sexually Transmitted Infections
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 9719452
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1136/sti.78.6.425