Abstract
Data on the burden of dengue and its economic costs can help guide health policy decisions. However, little reliable information is available for Colombia. We therefore calculated the burden of the disease, expressed in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), for two scenarios: endemic years (average number of cases in non-epidemic years 2011 and 2012) and an epidemic year (2010, when the highest number of dengue cases was reported in the study period). We also estimated the total economic cost of the disease (U.S. dollars at the average exchange rate for 2012), including indirect costs to households derived from expenses such as preventing entry of mosquitos into the home and costs to government arising from direct, indirect, and prevention and monitoring activities, as well as the direct medical and non-medical costs. In the epidemic year 2010, 1,198.73 DALYs were lost per million inhabitants versus 83.88 in endemic years. The total financial cost of the disease in Colombia from a societal perspective was US$167.8 million for 2010, US$129.9 million for 2011, and US$131.7 million for 2012. The cost of mosquito prevention borne by households was a major cost driver (accounting for 46% of the overall cost in 2010, 62% in 2011, and 64% in 2012).
Highlights
The dengue virus, responsible for dengue fever (DF) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF), is the most geographically widespread vector-borne infection in countries of the southern hemisphere
Data on the incidence of DF and DHF, age of onset, and sex distribution used for calculation and modeling of the burden of disease were taken from cases notified to the National Public Health Surveillance System (Sistema Nacional de Vigilancia en Salud Pública [SIVIGILA]) for the period 2010–2012
We estimated the burden of disease by calculating the disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) according
Summary
The dengue virus, responsible for dengue fever (DF) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF), is the most geographically widespread vector-borne infection in countries of the southern hemisphere. A resurgence of the disease has occurred in Latin America.[1] In 2010, Colombia had a major outbreak with more than 150,000 cases and 289 deaths, while more than a million reported cases occurred throughout Latin America in 2012, with 187,647 of these cases in the Andean subregion (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela).[2] In the first half of 2013, 24,116 cases of DF were reported in the Andean subregion, with 990 deaths, yielding a mortality rate of 0.5%.3. Inhabitants of endemic areas may be aware of the disease if they have experienced serious consequences, such as the death of a family member or neighbor.[6,7]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
