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. 2023 Jun 29:14:35-47.
doi: 10.2147/RRTM.S382288. eCollection 2023.

Monetary Value of Disability-Adjusted Life Years and Potential Productivity Losses Associated With Neglected Tropical Diseases in the East African Community

Joses Muthuri Kirigia  1 , Patrick Kinyua Kubai  2
Affiliations

Monetary Value of Disability-Adjusted Life Years and Potential Productivity Losses Associated With Neglected Tropical Diseases in the East African Community

Joses Muthuri Kirigia et al. Res Rep Trop Med. .

Abstract

Introduction: In 2019, the East African Community (EAC) lost 12,048,918 disability-adjusted life-years (DALY) across all ages from neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). The specific objectives of the study reported in the paper were to estimate for EAC the monetary value of DALYs sustained by all ages from NTDs, and the potential productivity losses within the working age bracket of 15 years and above.

Methods: The EAC total monetary value of DALYs lost from all 20 NTDs is the sum of each partner state's monetary value of DALYs lost from all 20 NTDs. The ith partner state's monetary value of DALY from jth disease equals ith state's GDP per capita net of current health expenditure multiplied by DALYs lost from jth disease in 2019. The EAC total productivity losses attributable to DALYs lost from all 20 NTDs is the sum of lost productivity across the seven partner states. The ith partner state's productivity loss associated with jth disease equals ith state's GDP per capita net of current health expenditure multiplied by DALYs lost from jth disease and the ith state's labour force participation rate adjusted for underutilization (unemployment and time-related underemployment) in 2019.

Results: The total 12,048,918 DALYs lost in EAC from NTDs had a of International Dollars (Int$) 21,824,211,076 and an average of Int$ 1811 per DALY. The 2,614,464 DALYs lost from NTD among 15-year-olds and above caused an estimated of Int$ 2,588,601,097 (0.392% of the EAC gross domestic product in 2019), and an average of Int$ 990.1 per DALY.

Conclusion: The study succeeded in estimating the monetary value of DALYs sustained by all ages from 20 NTDs, and the potential productivity losses within the working age bracket of 15 years and above in the seven EAC partner states. The DALYs lost from NTD among 15-year-olds and above caused a sizeable loss in the economic productivity of EAC.

Keywords: current health expenditure; disability-adjusted life years; gross domestic product; neglected tropical diseases; non-health GDP per capita.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Neglected tropical diseases caused economic productivity losses per East African Community party state (2019 Int$ or Purchasing Power Parity).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Potential economic productivity lost from neglected tropical diseases per 100,000 population in the East African Community (Int$, 2019).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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