A benefit-cost analysis was performed to determine the cost-effectiveness of an aggressive oral rabies vaccination program that was initiated in Long Island, New York and the analysis used the REMI model to estimate the macroeconomic impacts of raccoon rabies elimination to New York State. The $3 million cost of the program was recovered within eight years by reducing costs associated with post-exposure prophylaxis and veterinary diagnostic testing of rabies suspect animals. For every dollar spent on the program, $2.39 was saved and modeling estimations had employment growth of over 100 jobs and a gross domestic product increase of $9.2 million through 2019. This was the first estimation of the broader implications of rabies to the overall economy.
