The global cost associated with dengue fever is substantial, according to recent research from the Schneider Institutes for Health Policy at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass.
"Defining dengue in monetary terms means the disease can be compared with other economic problems," said lead author Donald Shepard, PhD. "Public health systems can then leverage that information to secure resources from their ministry of finance — and possibly the donor community — to control the disease."
Here are five findings about the economic burden of dengue fever.
1. The estimated global cost of dengue each year is $8.9 billion.
2. The total estimated price tag for dengue tops the price tags of several other major infectious diseases, including cholera, rotavirus gastroenteritis, canine rabies and Chagas.
3. The largest portion of the global cost of dengue is attributed to hospitalized nonfatal cases, which make up 46 percent (or $4.1 billion) of the estimated expenses, followed by ambulatory nonfatal cases (33 percent), fatal cases (11 percent) and nonmedical cases (8 percent).
4. The estimated cost for each individual fatal dengue case is $84,000.
5. There are approximately 58 million symptomatic cases of dengue across 141 countries.
For more information on dengue fever incidence and cost, click here.
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