Economic burden of dengue in urban Bangladesh: A societal perspective

Abstract

Background Dengue, a vector-borne disease, is a major public health problem in many tropical and sub-tropical countries including Bangladesh. The objective of this study is to estimate the societal cost of illness of dengue infections among the urban population in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Methods A cost-of-illness study was conducted using a prevalence-based approach from a societal perspective. Costs attributable to dengue were estimated from a bottom-up strategy using the guideline proposed by the World Health Organization for estimating the economic burden of infectious diseases. Results A total of 302 hospitalized confirmed dengue patients were enrolled in this study. The aver-age cost to society for a person with a dengue episode was US$ 479.02. This amount was ranged between US$ 341.67 and US$ 567.12 for those patients who were treated at public and private hospitals, respectively. The households out-of-pocket cost contributed to a larger portion of the total costs of illness (66%) while the cost burden was significantly higher for the poorest households than the richest quintile. Conclusions Dengue disease imposes a substantial financial burden on households and society. There-fore, decision-makers should consider the treatment cost of dengue infections, particularly among the poor in the population while balancing the benefits of introducing potentially effective dengue preventive programs in Bangladesh.