Cost of treating severe malaria in children in Africa: a systematic literature review
Background: Malaria is a major cause of ill health and death among children in Africa. The disease also imposes a heavy social and economic burden on households and health systems and is strongly associated with poverty. This study summarizes the most recent costs of treating severe malaria in children in Africa.
Methods: A systematic search was carried out in the PubMed, Embase, Cinahl and Web of Science databases. Google and Google Scholar were searched for gray literature and reference lists of previous systematic studies were reviewed. The research was limited to children under 12 years of age, countries in Africa where malaria is endemic, and the English language. All costs have been adjusted to the year 2023.
Results: 19 studies conducted in 12 countries were identified: 14 reported provider costs and 11 reported household costs. Of the 19 studies found, 11 were published before 2018 while 11 reported data dating back more than ten years. Studies vary methodologically and in the extent of resources included in the cost estimate. Costs for providers ranged from US$27 in Uganda to US$165 per patient in Kenya (median value US$90), while costs for households ranged from US$13 in Kenya to US$245 per patient in Gabon (median value of US$90). 50 USD). All but one of the identified national malaria treatment costs represented catastrophic health expenditures, accounting for more than 10% of monthly gross national income per capita in the respective countries.
Conclusion: Data on the cost of treating severe malaria in children in Africa are scarce. However, the few existing studies show that severe malaria in children imposes a significant economic burden on health care providers and households. Additional studies are needed, particularly in countries with high disease burden and impact, to inform resource allocation decisions.
Keywords: Africa; Child ; Cost ; Cost of illness; Economic burden; Severe malaria; Severe malaria anemia