The economic burden of diarrhea in children under 5 years in Bangladesh

Hasan, M. Z., Mehdi, G. G., De Broucker, G., Ahmed, S. , Ali, M. W., Martin Del Campo, J., Constenla, D., Patenaude, B. and Uddin, M. J. (2021) The economic burden of diarrhea in children under 5 years in Bangladesh. International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 107, pp. 37-46. (doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2021.04.038) (PMID:33864914) (PMCID:PMC8208894)

Abstract

Background: Diarrhea is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among under-five children in Bangladesh. Hospitalization for diarrhea can pose a significant burden on households and health systems. The aim of this study was to estimate the cost of illness due to diarrhea from the healthcare facility, caregiver, and societal perspectives in Bangladesh. Method: A cross-sectional study with an ingredient-based costing approach was conducted in 48 healthcare facilities in Bangladesh. In total, 899 caregivers of under-five children with diarrhea were interviewed face-to-face between August 2017 and May 2018, followed up over phone after 7–14 days of discharge, to capture all expenses and time costs related to the entire episode of diarrhea. Results: The average cost per episode for caregivers was US$62, with $29 direct and $34 indirect costs. From the societal perspective, average cost per episode of diarrhea was $71. In 2018, an estimated $79 million of economic costs were incurred for treating diarrhea in Bangladesh. Using 10% of income as threshold, over 46% of interviewed households faced catastrophic expenditure from diarrheal disease. Conclusion: The economic costs incurred by caregivers for treating per-episode of diarrhea was around 4% of the annual national gross domestic product per-capita. Investment in vaccination can help to reduce the prevalence of diarrheal diseases and avert this public health burden.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This study was part of the Decade of Vaccine Economics (DOVE) project, funded under a multi-project grant (OPP112821) by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Ahmed, Dr Sayem
• Authors: Hasan, M. Z., Mehdi, G. G., De Broucker, G., Ahmed, S., Ali, M. W., Martin Del Campo, J., Constenla, D., Patenaude, B., and Uddin, M. J.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > Health Economics and Health Technology Assessment
• Journal Name: International Journal of Infectious Diseases
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 1201-9712
• ISSN (Online): 1878-3511
• Published Online: 20 April 2021
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2021 The Authors
• First Published: First published in International Journal of Infectious Diseases 107: 37-46
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License
• Data DOI: 10.7910/DVN/YKPSJ7