Economic burden of scorpion sting and snake bite from a social perspective in Iran

Abstract

Background: Iran is one of the countries with a high incidence of venomous animal bites, especially scorpion stings and snake bites. As a result, paying inadequate attention to education and prevention programs can impose considerable economic and social costs on the country. Thus, this study aimed to determine the economic burden of snake bite and scorpion sting through identifying direct and indirect costs imposed on the patients in the country. Methods: This was an applied, cross-sectional and analytical-descriptive study conducted in Ahvaz, Iran, in 2015. In order to collect data on direct medical costs, we used the data available in patients’ medical records and self-reports of specialists. Data on nonmedical direct costs and indirect costs were collected through face-to-face or telephone interviews with the patients in the studied centers. Human capital approach was used to calculate indirect costs. Results: The total annual costs estimated for the victims of scorpion sting and snake bite were 50,656,424 PPP$ and 11,317,416 PPP$, respectively. Of the mentioned costs, respectively, 90.6% and 75.1% were spent on direct costs and 9.4% and 24.9% on indirect costs. Conclusions: The results of this study showed that scorpion sting and snake bites could impose a significant economic burden on payers, patients, and the community. Therefore, it is necessary to adopt proper preventive and medical measures to prevent the increase of the related economic burden.