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

Hasan, Md. Zahid, Mehdi, Gazi Golam, De Broucker, Gatien, Ahmed, Sayem ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9499-1500, Ali, Md. Wazed, Martin Del Campo, Jorge, Constenla, Dagna, Patenaude, Bryan and Uddin, Md. Jasim (2021) 'The economic burden of diarrhea in children under 5 years in Bangladesh'. International Journal of Infectious Diseases, Vol 107, pp. 37-46.

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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: Article
Subjects: W General Medicine. Health Professions > W 74 Medical economics. Health care costs
WA Public Health > Health Problems of Special Population Groups > WA 395 Health in developing countries
WI Digestive System > WI 407 Diarrhea
WS Pediatrics > Diseases of Children and Adolescents > By System > WS 312 Diarrheal disorders
Faculty: Department: Biological Sciences > Department of Tropical Disease Biology
Digital Object Identifer (DOI): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2021.04.038
Depositing User: Marie Hatton
Date Deposited: 10 May 2021 13:27
Last Modified: 10 May 2021 13:27
URI: https://archive.lstmed.ac.uk/id/eprint/17781

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