The Estimates of the Health and Economic Burden of Dengue in Vietnam

Abstract

Dengue has been estimated to cause a substantial health and economic burden in Vietnam. The most recent studies have estimated that it is responsible for 39884 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) annually, representing an economic burden of US$94.87 million per year (in 2016 prices). However, there are alternative burden estimates that are notably lower. This variation is predominantly due to differences in how the number of symptomatic dengue cases is estimated. Understanding the methodology of these burden calculations is vital when interpreting health economic analyses of dengue. This review aims to provide an overview of the health and economic burden estimates of dengue in Vietnam. We also highlight important research gaps for future studies.

Keywords: DALYs; Vietnam; cost of illness; dengue; economic burden; health burden.

Figure 1

The Number of Reported Dengue Cases and the Estimates of the True Number of Symptomatic Dengue Cases Occurring per Year in Vietnam. Panel A illustrates the number of reported dengue cases in Vietnam over time (the data are reproduced from 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94). However, many symptomatic dengue cases are not reported and therefore these values underestimate the true burden of dengue. Panel B illustrates the different estimates regarding the true number of symptomatic dengue cases occurring annually in Vietnam (Shepard et al. (2013) , Shepard et al. (2016) , Bhatt et al. (2013) [17]). The Shepard et al. estimates are representative of the period between 2001 and 2010. The Shepard et al. estimates are based on the GBD 2013 study (although the model used smoothed out the effects of dengue outbreaks, making the estimates more representative of an average year around 2013). The Bhatt et al. estimate pertains to 2010. The different case categories are defined in the Glossary. A more detailed description of the data is given in Table S1.