Cost-effectiveness of measles rapid diagnostic tests for replacing or expanding laboratory testing in Ethiopia

The study examined how rapid diagnostic tests for measles (RDT) could improve measles detection in Ethiopia. Using a computer model simulating measles outbreaks, various testing scenarios were compared over a 10-year period. All scenarios were more cost-effective than the current situation. Replacing laboratory testing with RDT saved 4.2 million dollars but did not reduce outbreak detection time due to low test sensitivity. Replacing epidemiological linkage with RDT saved 9.7 million dollars. Most effective was doubling case detection, which reduced detection time from 113 to 80 days, prevented 17,000 measles cases, and saved 4.3 million dollars. Conclusion: Rapid diagnostic tests could be cost-effective and help detect and respond to measles outbreaks more quickly.