Does One Health Pay Off? Economic and System-Level Evidence from Rift Valley Fever Control in Senegal

Senegal has prioritized the One Health (OH) approach to strengthen preparedness and response to Rift Valley Fever (RVF) in high-risk regions such as Saint-Louis. To support national decision making, a cost–benefit analysis (CBA) compared sectoral interventions with jointly implemented OH actions involving human, animal, and environmental health authorities. The study examined whether coordinated approaches generated additional economic or public health value relative to traditional sector-specific responses. Data were obtained through interviews with government actors and livestock value chain stakeholders, complemented by reports and grey literature. Although an epidemiological model was initially planned, limited disaggregated data required the reconstruction of costs, benefits, and epidemiological indicators from available records. Composite economic indicators, including net present value (NPV), economic rate of return, and benefit–cost ratio (BCR), were computed for both scenarios. Scenario analysis was conducted to test the sensitivity of results to key assumptions, given the data limitations encountered. Both intervention models produced positive economic returns for Saint-Louis. Sectoral interventions recorded a higher BCR (33) and larger NPV than OH interventions (BCR 21), partly reflecting their greater frequency and more complete documentation between 2013 and 2020. Nevertheless, OH interventions also proved economically worthwhile and provided strategic advantages that extend beyond measurable financial gains. Under conservative assumptions, the BCR for OH interventions ranged from ~16 to 27, confirming robustness of the positive finding. These findings highlight the importance of strengthening multisectoral coordination, improving data systems, and enhancing documentation to support future evaluations and reinforce Senegal’s One Health platform.