Benefit-cost analysis of raccoon rabies control in Ontario, Canada

Zoonotic diseases, particularly those originating in wildlife, pose significant public health and economic risks. Rabies, a viral zoonosis with near-100% case fatality in humans, is a prime example of such a threat, especially in regions like North America where wildlife—such as raccoons—serve as key reservoirs. This study assesses the economic efficiency of Ontario, Canada’s raccoon rabies control program, which combines oral rabies vaccination (ORV), trap-vaccinate-release (TVR), and surveillance strategies. Using a spatial agent-based epidemiological model, the study estimates the benefits and costs of intervention compared to a no-intervention scenario over the period 2015–2025. Benefits were quantified as avoided public health costs, including post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), animal testing (AT), and human exposure investigations (INVT), and converted to 2023 CAD. Results show that the intervention prevented significant economic losses, with benefit-cost ratios ranging from 1.5 to 14.16 depending on assumed rates of intervention necessity, confirming the program’s cost-effectiveness. This analysis not only supports continued investment in wildlife rabies control but also provides a scalable economic framework for other zoonotic disease management programs utilizing a One Health approach.