Economic impacts of Bovine alphaherpesvirus 1 infection in Brazil: Meta-analysis based on epidemiological indicators

This study aimed to conduct a systematic review to estimate the economic impact of Bovine alphaherpesvirus 1 (BoAHV1) infection in Brazil using epidemiological indicators through a meta-analysis. Specific descriptors were used to retrieve studies from the Scopus, PubMed, Biblioteca Digital Brasileira de Teses e Dissertações, and Catálogo de Teses e Dissertações da Capes databases, selecting those that met the inclusion criteria established between the years 2000 and 2020. The selected studies were subjected to descriptive statistical analysis using prevalence data as the primary outcome with a 95% confidence interval (CI) with a meta-analysis of random effects and measures of heterogeneity, significance, magnitude of the effect, and measurement of publication bias. Abortion costs and estimates were calculated based on the prevalence of BoAHV1 infection in Brazil and the characteristics of the agent as viral subtypes that cause abortion, period of occurrence, average pregnancy rate, and morbidity applied to susceptible animals and animal replacement values. The results were obtained from 49 studies included for meta-analysis where a prevalence of BoAHV1 infection of 54.12% (95% CI: 49.07% - 59.26%) in the bovine population and 88.53% (95% CI: 82.97%–92.43%) was present. From the structured formula, it is estimated that 258,779 bovine abortions occur, which causes a total loss, based only on the occurrence of abortion, of US $ 48,402,244.00 to the country. It is noteworthy that because of the losses caused, strict control and eradication measures need to be implemented based on the elaboration of normative instruction that includes health education measures, vaccination, tests for traffic, and animal trade so that BoAHV1 infections do not continue to negatively impact national producers economically, productively, and socially.

An Exploration of the Experiences of Florida Abortion Fund Service Recipients

This article describes a secondary data analysis of a health data set representing the experiences of abortion fund service recipients (ASRs) who received financial assistance to help pay for unaffordable abortion costs. The authors analyzed 3,216 ASR cases from 2001 to 2015. Demographic characteristics, service utilization rates, and the personal hardships reported by the sample were assessed. The personal hardships of the Florida ASRs were compared with the hardships reported by ASRs who received assistance from a national fund. Results indicate that Florida ASRs are primarily people of color who are single, in their mid-20s, already parenting children, and receiving assistance in the second trimester of pregnancy. ASRs in this current study are experiencing multiple personal hardships while trying to access an abortion, including economic hardships (such as lack of insurance coverage and unemployment) and trauma (including rape and partner violence). When compared with the ASRs at the national level, these state-level ASRs reported higher rates of unemployment, partner violence, and rape, which suggests that the Florida ASRs face some more dire circumstances compared with ASRs at the national level. Repeal of policy that restricts public funding of abortion in Florida is recommended to improve access to abortion.