| dc.description.abstract | Typhoid affects approximately 27 million people annually of whom 277,000 succumb to the
disease and 5.6 billion people are at risk of infection globally. Recent studies on typhoid have
focused on epidemiology, risk factors assessment but leaves out the economic implication of the
disease. This study therefore aimed at determining the direct and indirect costs related to the care
of typhoid fever in Bwaise Sub County. A cross sectional study of cost of illness due to typhoid
infection was carried out to collect quantitative and qualitative data from clinics and pharmacies
in the Bwaise. A total of 6 medical centers were enrolled in the study and encoded B001 to B006.
Overall 101 patients who were diagnosed with typhoid fever in the 6 medical centers were included
in the study. Majority were males accounting for 55.45% and 44.55% being females. Mjority in
the age group of 16-30 years (63.37%) with the mean age of 27 years. 99% of the patients were
outpatients. 85.15% of patients had to pay consultation fee, 100% were charged laboratory fee.
The most performed laboratory test combination was widal and malaria Blood smear (37.62%).
The direct costs involved in typhoid illness included consultation fee, laboratory test fee, cost of
admission for inpatients and cost of medicines prescribed. Cost of medicines constituted the
highest direct cost at all clinics making up 3,785,400/4,883,400 (78.7%) of the total direct cost and
on average the medicines costed Ugandan shillings 37,479.2±23,509.2. The average total direct
cost incurred by patients was 48,350.5±26,294.7 Shillings. On average patients lost approximately
5 days costing them on average about 12,990 per day resulting into a total average indirect loss/cost
of approximately 58,950 shillings for the whole period of illness. Therefore, typhoid fever can
impose financial burden both directly or indirectly to the patients and caretakers. More efforts
should be directed towards preventive measures. regulatory framework established and
implemented to regulate and monitor the cost of drugs and other forms of treatment in private | en_US |
