Abstract
Leptospirosis is a serious public health concern in the Philippines, not only because of its increasing incidence rate, but also because of its significant health and economic impacts. Despite its relatively high seroprevalence, knowledge on the economic burden of disease, particularly on the value that the society places on disease prevention remains limited. Obtaining such information is important within the context of public health policy. This study was conducted in Metro Manila to determine the economic burden of leptospirosis, by asking respondents about their willingness to contribute to labor (WTCL) for the prevention of leptospirosis. The respondents pledged an average labor contribution of 10.66 h/month. The average WTCL corresponded to a monetary value of US$4.01 per month when valued using the opportunity cost of labor (leisure rate of time). From the monetized labor contribution, the total economic value of preventing leptospirosis was estimated at US$124.97 million per annum, which represents 1.13% of Metro Manila’s gross domestic product (GDP). Estimates from a Tobit regression model identified the respondents’ knowledge regarding leptospirosis, the susceptibility of their homes to flooding, and the proximity of their homes to sewers as significant factors to consider when developing resource contribution programs for leptospirosis prevention. More efforts need to be made in developing community level preventive programs, and in improving public’s knowledge and awareness about leptospirosis.
Highlights
Leptospirosis is a zoonotic infection caused by spirochetes belonging to pathogenic species of Leptospira [1]
When respondents were asked about the amount of time they were willing to contribute for voluntary labor to the proposed leptospirosis prevention program, the results indicated a broad acceptance of labor as a payment vehicle
The main purpose of this study was to measure the economic welfare of preventing leptospirosis in an urban setting without reliance on the conventional contingent valuation method (CVM)
Summary
Leptospirosis is a zoonotic infection caused by spirochetes belonging to pathogenic species of Leptospira [1]. Rodents are known to be the principal host of the bacteria, livestock animals and domestic pets can act as incidental hosts [2]. Human infection occurs from exposure to the infected urine of animal hosts, either by direct contact or via indirect contact with contaminated soil or water [3]. Leptospirosis is considered endemic in the Philippines [5]. The leptospirosis incidence rate in the Philippines in 2008 was estimated at 4.8 per million population [6], which can be considered the second highest in Southeast Asia. Leptospirosis outbreaks commonly occur in the urban cities of Metro
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