Dengue economic impact in Paraguay

Abstract

Background: Since the end of the 20th century, dengue has periodically devastated Paraguay. Its high morbidity and mortality translate into a high global socio-economic impact and a high burden on health care systems. Aim: To determine the economic cost and burden of dengue in Paraguay. Methods: The direct and indirect costs of dengue were estimated in both outpatient and hospitalized cases. Likewise, the years of life adjusted for disability (DALY) were calculated from the sum of the years of life lost (YPLL) due to premature mortality in the population and years lost due to disability (DVSP). Results: The unit cost per ambulatory case was US dollars 52.5 and for hospitalized patients US dollars 300 with a total cost for the 4 years of US dollars 276,804.864 and US dollars 23,236.45, respectively. The AVPP were 18,469.7 per million inhabitants; the DVSP of 185,835 and the DALYs 32,676 years per million inhabitants. Conclusions: Dengue imposes considerable costs for both the health sector and the economy in general in Paraguay.