Zika's Economic Burden

A new analysis estimates that the viral disease could cost between $183 million and more than $10 billion in the U.S. alone.

Written byJef Akst

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Digitally-colorized transmission electron micrograph of Zika virusFLICKR, CDC GLOBALDepending on the rate of Zika infections in at-risk states, the virus could end up costing society as much as $10.3 billion in direct medical costs and lost productivity, according to a study published today (May 11) in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. At the low end, Zika infections could cost $183 million.

“One of the problems is we do not do active surveillance for Zika along the Gulf Coast,” coauthor Peter Hotez, dean for the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor University, told CNBC. “So we still do not know the true number of cases that happened last year. And we are not going to know that until we see the number of babies born with birth defects due to Zika going into the summer months. So we are not out of the woods yet, with respect to last year’s epidemic.”

Last year, Congress approved $1.1 billion to combat Zika, but many researchers felt it wasn’t enough. To try to get a handle on how much would be enough, Hotez and collaborators developed a model of ...

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Meet the Author

Jef Akst
Jef (an unusual nickname for Jennifer) got her master’s degree from Indiana University in April 2009 studying the mating behavior of seahorses. After four years of diving off the Gulf Coast of Tampa and performing behavioral experiments at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, she left research to pursue a career in science writing. As The Scientist's managing editor, Jef edited features and oversaw the production of the TS Digest and quarterly print magazine. In 2022, her feature on uterus transplantation earned first place in the trade category of the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers.
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