Costs for Households and Community Perception of Meningitis Epidemics in Burkina Faso

• Published in: Clinical infectious diseases 2009-11, Vol.49 (10), p.1520-1525
• Main Authors: Colombini, Anaïs, Bationo, Fernand, Zongo, Sylvie, Ouattara, Fatoumata, Badolo, Ousmane, Jaillard, Philippe, Seini, Emmanuel, Gessner, Bradford D., Da Silva, Alfred
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bacteria; Bacterial meningitis; Biological and medical sciences; Burkina Faso - epidemiology; Economic costs; Epidemics; Epidemiology; Family Characteristics; Haemophilus meningitis; Health care costs; Health Expenditures - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Immunization; Infectious diseases; Medical sciences; Meningitis; Meningitis, Bacterial - economics; Meningitis, Bacterial - epidemiology; Meningitis, Bacterial - psychology; Meningococcal meningitis; Pneumococcal meningitis; Preventive medicine; REVIEW ARTICLE; Studies; Vaccination
• ISSN: 1058-4838; 1537-6591
• DOI: 10.1086/644623

Bacterial meningitis in the African meningitis belt remains 1 of the most serious threats to health. The perceptions regarding meningitis in local populations and the cost of illness for households are not well described. We conducted an anthropologic and economic study in Burkina Faso, in the heart of the meningitis belt. Respondents reported combining traditional and modern beliefs regarding disease etiology, which in turn influenced therapeutic care-seeking behavior. Households spent US $90 per meningitis case, or 34% of the annual gross domestic product per capita, and up to US $154 more when meningitis sequelae occurred. Much of this cost was attributable to direct medical expenses, which in theory are paid by the government. Preventive immunization against meningitis will overcome limitations imposed by traditional beliefs and contribute to poverty reduction goals.