Total Economic Cost and Burden of Dengue in Nicaragua: 1996–2010

Zachary S. Wettstein Dengue Relief Foundation, Managua, Nicaragua; Public Health Computational and Operations Research (PHICOR), University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Search for other papers by Zachary S. Wettstein in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
,
Michael Fleming Dengue Relief Foundation, Managua, Nicaragua; Public Health Computational and Operations Research (PHICOR), University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Search for other papers by Michael Fleming in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
,
Aileen Y. Chang Dengue Relief Foundation, Managua, Nicaragua; Public Health Computational and Operations Research (PHICOR), University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Search for other papers by Aileen Y. Chang in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
,
David J. Copenhaver Dengue Relief Foundation, Managua, Nicaragua; Public Health Computational and Operations Research (PHICOR), University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Search for other papers by David J. Copenhaver in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
,
Angela R. Wateska Dengue Relief Foundation, Managua, Nicaragua; Public Health Computational and Operations Research (PHICOR), University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Search for other papers by Angela R. Wateska in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
,
Sarah M. Bartsch Dengue Relief Foundation, Managua, Nicaragua; Public Health Computational and Operations Research (PHICOR), University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Search for other papers by Sarah M. Bartsch in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
,
Bruce Y. Lee Dengue Relief Foundation, Managua, Nicaragua; Public Health Computational and Operations Research (PHICOR), University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Search for other papers by Bruce Y. Lee in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
, and
Rajan P. Kulkarni Dengue Relief Foundation, Managua, Nicaragua; Public Health Computational and Operations Research (PHICOR), University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Search for other papers by Rajan P. Kulkarni in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
Restricted access

The burden of dengue in Nicaragua has been steadily rising during the last three decades; however, there have been few efforts to quantify the burden (measured in disability-adjusted life years [DALYs]) and cost to society. Using primary data from the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health (MINSA), the total cost and burden of dengue were calculated from 1996 to 2010. Total costs included both direct costs from medical expenditures and prevention activities and indirect costs from lost productivity. The annual disease burden ranged from 99 to 805 DALYs per million, with a majority associated with classic dengue fever. The total cost was estimated to be US$13.5 million/year (range: US$5.1–27.6 million). This analysis can help improve allocation of dengue control resources in Nicaragua and the region. As one of the most comprehensive analyses of its type to date in Nicaragua and Latin America, this study can serve as a model to determine the burden and cost of dengue.

Author Notes

* Address correspondence to Rajan P. Kulkarni, Dengue Relief Foundation, PO Box 162515, Sacramento, CA 95816. E-mail: rkulkarni2@gmail.com

Financial support: This research was supported in part by a grant from the Doris Duke Foundation to AYC. This study was supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences Models of Infectious Disease Agent Study (MIDAS) grant 1U54GM088491-0109 and the Vaccine Modeling Initiative.

Authors' addresses: Zachary S. Wettstein, Michael Fleming, Aileen Y. Chang, David J. Copenhaver, and Rajan P. Kulkarni, Dengue Relief Foundation, Managua, Nicaragua, E-mails: zwettstein@gmail.com, ayc2113@columbia.edu, michael.fleming@gmail.com, dcopenhaver@gmail.com, and rkulkarni2@gmail.com. Angela R. Wateska, Sarah M. Bartsch, and Bruce Y. Lee, Public Health Computational and Operations Research (PHICOR), Pittsburgh, PA, E-mails: arw38@pitt.edu, smm168@pitt.edu, and BYL1@pitt.edu.

  • 1.

    Massad E, Coutinho FA, 2011. The cost of dengue control. Lancet 377: 16301631.

  • 2.

    Guzman MG, Halstead SB, Artsob H, Buchy P, Farrar J, Gubler DJ, Hunsperger E, Kroeger A, Margolis HS, Martínez E, Nathan MB, Pelegrino JL, Simmons C, Yoksan S, Peeling RW, 2010. Dengue: a continuing global threat. Nat Rev Microbiol 8: S7S16.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 3.

    Halstead SB, 1988. Pathogenesis of dengue: challenges to molecular biology. Science 239: 476481.

  • 4.

    Halstead SB, 2007. Dengue. Lancet 370: 16441652.

  • 5.

    Torres JR, Castro J, 2007. The health and economic impact of dengue in Latin America. Cad Saude Publica 23 (Suppl 1): S23S31.

  • 6.

    WHO, 2009. Dengue: Guidelines for Diagnosis, Treatment, Prevention and Control. Geneva: World Health Organization.

  • 7.

    Hotez PJ, Bottazzi ME, Franco-Paredes C, Ault SK, Periago MR, 2008. The neglected tropical diseases of Latin America and the Caribbean: a review of disease burden and distribution and a roadmap for control and elimination. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2: e300.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 8.

    Harris E, Videa E, Perez L, Sandoval E, Tellez Y, Perez ML, Cuadra R, Rocha J, Idiaquez W, Alonso RE, Delgado MA, Campo LA, Acevedo F, Gonzalez A, Amador JJ, Balmaseda A, 2000. Clinical, epidemiologic, and virologic features of dengue in the 1998 epidemic in Nicaragua. Am J Trop Med Hyg 63: 511.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 9.

    Standish K, Kuan G, Aviles W, Balmaseda A, Harris E, 2010. High dengue case capture rate in four years of a cohort study in Nicaragua compared to national surveillance data. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 4: e633.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 10.

    Ferrando J, 1995. Estimate of the Costs of the Dengue Epidemic in 1994 in Nicaragua. Washington, DC: Pan American Health Organization.

  • 11.

    Shepard DS, Coudeville L, Halasa YA, Zambrano B, Dayan GH, 2011. Economic impact of dengue illness in the Americas. Am J Trop Med Hyg 84: 200207.

  • 12.

    Armien B, Suaya JA, Quiroz E, Sah BK, Bayard V, Marchena L, Campos C, Shepard DS, 2008. Clinical characteristics and national economic cost of the 2005 dengue epidemic in Panama. Am J Trop Med Hyg 79: 364371.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 13.

    Shepard DS, 2009. Aggregate economic cost of dengue in Puerto Rico. Proceedings of the 58th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Washington, DC, November 18–22.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 14.

    Kongsin S, Jiamton S, Suaya JA, Vasanawathana S, Sirisuvan P, Shepard DS, 2010. Cost of Dengue in Thailand. Bangkok, Thailand: Mahidol University School of Public Health.

  • 15.

    Tapia-Conyer R, Méndez-Galván JF, Gallardo-Rincón H, 2009. The growing burden of dengue in Latin America. J Clin Virol 46: S3S6.

  • 16.

    Murray CJ, 1994. Quantifying the burden of disease: the technical basis for disability-adjusted life years. Bull World Health Organ 72: 429445.

  • 17.

    Murray CJ, Lopez AD, 1994. Quantifying disability: data, methods and results. Bull World Health Organ 72: 481494.

  • 18.

    PAHO, 2012. Dengue Regional Information: Number of Cases. Available at: http://new.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=264&Itemid=363&. Accessed January 12, 2012.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 19.

    Muiser J, Sáenz M, Bermúdez J, 2011. Sistema de salud de Nicaragua. Salud Publica Mex 53: S233S242.

  • 20.

    PAHO, 2000. Norms and Standards in Epidemiology: Case Definitions for Dengue Fever and Leptospirosis. Epidemiol Bull 21. Available at: http://www.paho.org/english/sha/eb_v21n2-cov.htm. Accessed January 12, 2012.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 21.

    Meltzer MI, Rigau-Perez JG, Clark GG, Reiter P, Gubler DJ, 1998. Using disability-adjusted life years to assess the economic impact of dengue in Puerto Rico: 1984–1994. Am J Trop Med Hyg 59: 265271.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 22.

    Salvatierra-González R, 2003. Costo de la infección nosocomial en nueve países de América Latina. Washington DC: OPS.

  • 23.

    Luz PM, Grinsztejn B, Galvani AP, 2009. Disability adjusted life years lost to dengue in Brazil. Trop Med Int Health 14: 237246.

  • 24.

    Suaya J, Shepard D, Beatty M, 2007. Dengue Burden of Disease and Cost of Illness. Geneva: World Health Organization on behalf of the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, 3549.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 25.

    Gubler DJ, 2002. How effectively is epidemiological surveillance used for dengue programme planning and epidemic response? Dengue Bull 26: 96106.

  • 26.

    Murray CJ, López AD, Bank W, 1996. The Global Burden of Disease: a Comprehensive Assessment of Mortality and Disability from Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors in 1990 and projected to 2020. Published by the Harvard School of Public Health on behalf of the World Health Organization and the World Bank.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 27.

    Clark DV, Mammen MP, Nisalak A, Puthimethee V, Endy TP, 2005. Economic impact of dengue fever/dengue hemorrhagic fever in Thailand at the family and population levels. Am J Trop Med Hyg 72: 786791.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 28.

    Suaya JA, Shepard DS, Siqueira JB, Martelli CT, Lum LC, Tan LH, Kongsin S, Jiamton S, Garrido F, Montoya R, Armien B, Huy R, Castillo L, Caram M, Sah BK, Sughayyar R, Tyo KR, Halstead SB, 2009. Cost of dengue cases in eight countries in the Americas and Asia: a prospective study. Am J Trop Med Hyg 80: 846855.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 29.

    Balmaseda A, Hammond SN, Tellez Y, Imhoff L, Rodriguez Y, Saborio SI, Mercado JC, Perez L, Videa E, Almanza E, Kuan G, Reyes M, Saenz L, Amador JJ, Harris E, 2006. High seroprevalence of antibodies against dengue virus in a prospective study of schoolchildren in Managua, Nicaragua. Trop Med Int Health 11: 935942.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 30.

    U.S. State Department, 2011. 2010 Human Rights Report: Nicaragua. Available at: http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2010/wha/154513.htm. Accessed January 12, 2012.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 31.

    Anderson KB, Chunsuttiwat S, Nisalak A, Mammen MP, Libraty DH, Rothman AL, Green S, Vaughn DW, Ennis FA, Endy TP, 2007. Burden of symptomatic dengue infection in children at primary school in Thailand: a prospective study. Lancet 369: 14521459.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 32.

    Beaute J, Vong S, 2010. Cost and disease burden of dengue in Cambodia. BMC Public Health 10: 521.

  • 33.

    Garg P, Nagpal J, Khairnar P, Seneviratne SL, 2008. Economic burden of dengue infections in India. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 102: 570577.

  • 34.

    Huy R, Wichmann O, Beatty M, Ngan C, Duong S, Margolis HS, Vong S, 2009. Cost of dengue and other febrile illnesses to households in rural Cambodia: a prospective community-based case-control study. BMC Public Health 9: 155.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 35.

    Mathers C, Fat DM, Boerma JT, 2008. The Global Burden of Disease: 2004 Update. Geneva: World Health Organization.

  • 36.

    Guzman MG, Kouri G, Bravo J, Valdes L, Vazquez S, Halstead SB, 2002. Effect of age on outcome of secondary dengue 2 infections. Int J Infect Dis 6: 118124.

  • 37.

    Malavige GN, Fernando S, Fernando DJ, Seneviratne SL, 2004. Dengue viral infections. Postgrad Med J 80: 588601.

  • 38.

    Pinheiro FP, Corber SJ, 1997. Global situation of dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever, and its emergence in the Americas. World Health Stat Q 50: 161169.

  • 39.

    Seyler T, Hutin Y, Ramanchandran V, Ramakrishnan R, Manickam P, Murhekar M, 2010. Estimating the burden of disease and the economic cost attributable to chikungunya, Andhra Pradesh, India, 2005–2006. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 104: 133138.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 40.

    Valdes LG, Mizhrahi JV, Guzman MG, 2002. Economic impact of dengue 2 epidemic in Santiago de Cuba, 1997. Rev Cubana Med Trop 54: 220227.

  • 41.

    Von Allmen SD, Lopez-Correa RH, Woodall JP, Morens DM, Chiriboga J, Casta-Velez A, 1979. Epidemic dengue fever in Puerto Rico, 1977: a cost analysis. Am J Trop Med Hyg 28: 10401044.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 42.

    Tarricone R, 2006. Cost-of-illness analysis: what room in health economics? Health Policy 77: 5163.

  • 43.

    Byford S, Torgerson DJ, Raftery J, 2000. Cost of illness studies. BMJ 320: 1335.

  • 44.

    Shiell A, Gerard K, Donaldson C, 1987. Cost of illness studies: an aid to decision-making? Health Policy 8: 317323.

  • 45.

    Hodgson TA, 1989. Cost of illness studies: no aid to decision making? Comments on the second opinion by Shiell et al. (Health Policy 8(1987)317–323). Health Policy 11: 5760.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 46.

    Beatty ME, Beutels P, Meltzer MI, Shepard DS, Hombach J, Hutubessy R, Dessis D, Coudeville L, Dervaux B, Wichmann O, Margolis HS, Kuritsky JN, 2011. Health economics of dengue: a systematic literature review and expert panel's assessment. Am J Trop Med Hyg 84: 473488.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 47.

    Lee BY, Connor DL, Kitchen SB, Bacon KM, Shah M, Brown ST, Bailey RR, Laosiritaworn Y, Burke DS, Cummings DA, 2011. Economic value of dengue vaccine in Thailand. Am J Trop Med Hyg 84: 764772.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 48.

    Shepard DS, Suaya JA, Halstead SB, Nathan MB, Gubler DJ, Mahoney RT, Wang DNC, Meltzer MI, 2004. Cost-effectiveness of a pediatric dengue vaccine. Vaccine 22: 12751280.

  • 49.

    Shepard DS, Suaya JA, 2010. Cost-effectiveness of a dengue vaccine in Southeast Asia and Panama: preliminary estimates. Preedy VR, Watson RR, eds. Handbook of Disease Burdens and Quality of Life Measures. New York: Springer, Chapter 73: 12811296.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
Past two years Past Year Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 438 367 40
Full Text Views 506 16 0
PDF Downloads 173 13 0
 
 
 
 
Affiliate Membership Banner
 
 
Research for Health Information Banner
 
 
CLOCKSS
 
 
 
Society Publishers Coalition Banner
Save