The burden of yersiniosis in New Zealand, 2022.

AIM: To estimate the burden of yersiniosis and sequelae in New Zealand, expressed as disability-adjusted life years (DALYs).

METHODS

Information on the incidence of yersiniosis was taken from the New Zealand notifiable disease database (EpiSurv). Information on the duration and subsequent sequelae (reactive arthritis, erythema nodosum) were obtained from a New Zealand case-control study. Transition factors (e.g., proportion of cases for which a specimen is requested, proportion of cases providing a specimen) were taken from the New Zealand Acute Gastrointestinal Illness (AGI) Study. Disability weights used to calculate DALYs were those from the 2013 Global Burden of Disease Study.

RESULTS

For 2022, the burden of yersiniosis in New Zealand was estimated to be 119 (95% credible interval 41.5-243) DALYs. Most of the burden (110/119 DALYs) was due to primary gastroenteritis. Rates of reactive arthritis and erythema nodosum were similar to those observed in overseas studies.

CONCLUSION

The burden of disease due to yersiniosis is predominantly due to the long duration of the gastrointestinal disease, with relatively minor contributions from sequelae.