Economic losses due to cystic echinococcosis in India: Need for urgent action to control the disease

The analysis revealed a total annual median loss of Rs. 11.47 billion (approx. US $ 212.35 million). Cattle and buffalo industry accounted for most of the losses: 93.05% and 88.88% of the animal and total losses, respectively. Human hydatidosis related losses were estimated to be Rs. 472.72 million (approx. US $ 8.75 million) but are likely to be an under-estimate due to under-reporting of the disease in the country. The human losses more than quadrupled to Rs. 1953 million i.e. approx. US $ 36.17 million, when the prevalence of human undiagnosed cases was increased to 0.2% in the sensitivity analyses. The social loss and psychological distress were not taken into account for calculating human loss. The results highlight an urgent need for a science based policy to control and manage the disease in the country.