The rising global economic costs of invasive Aedes mosquitoes and Aedes-borne diseases

Highlights: • Dengue, Zika and chikungunya are transmitted by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. • These invasive species carry a significant but not well-characterized economic cost. • Our study reports costs from 166 countries and territories, spanning 45 years. • The cumulative reported cost amounted to at least US dollars 94.7 billion. • Costs are increasing and only a modest proportion (1/10) is invested in prevention. Abstract: Invasive Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes transmit viruses such as dengue, chikungunya and Zika, posing a huge public health burden as well as having a less well understood economic impact. We present a comprehensive, global-scale synthesis of studies reporting these economic costs, spanning 166 countries and territories over 45 years. The minimum cumulative reported cost estimate expressed in 2022 US dollars was 94.7 billion, although this figure reflects considerable underreporting and underestimation. The analysis suggests a 14-fold increase in costs, with an average annual expenditure of US dollars 3.1 billion, and a maximum of US dollars 20.3 billion in 2013. Damage and losses were an order of magnitude higher than investment in management, with only a modest portion allocated to prevention. Effective control measures are urgently needed to safeguard global health and well-being, and to reduce the economic burden on human societies. This study fills a critical gap by addressing the increasing economic costs of Aedes and Aedes-borne diseases and offers insights to inform evidence-based policy. Graphical abstract: https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969724032017-ga1.jpg