摘要：This paper explores differences in estimated social costs from foodborne Escherichia coliO157:H7 between the United States and Scotland with particular attention paid tomethodological issues and categories of illness severity. Depending on the method of valuingpremature deaths, estimated medical costs and lost productivity in the United States average$10,000-$21,350/case. The estimated cost from the largest reported Scottish milk-borneoutbreak is $34,564/case. Costs per case were higher in Scotland predominately because theScottish cases did not include patients who did not seek medical attention and because theScottish cases had a higher percentage of the more costly complication of the disease, hemolyticuremic syndrome (HUS), typical of an outbreak. The U.S. estimates were based on the likelyannual incidence of disease predicted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
