Analysis of the direct and indirect costs of treatment of imported malaria in the Slovak Republic.
This study analyzed the approximate cost of treatment of patients hospitalized with a diagnosis of imported malaria in Slovakia. Between 2003 and 2007, 15 patients with imported malaria were hospitalized. The mean direct cost of the treatment was 970.75 euros and the mean indirect cost was 53.15 euros. For the patient with the highest cost of treatment, the use of mefloquine prophylaxis would have represented only 0.5% of the total direct cost of treating the disease. Despite the partial resistance of plasmodia, malaria chemoprophylaxis is unequivocally a cheaper choice than subsequent treatment of malaria.
Institute of Public Health, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Slovak Republic. svihrova@jfmed.uniba.sk
Viera
V
Svihrova
Maria
M
Szilagyiova
Dusan
D
Krkoska
Katarina
K
Simekova
Henrieta
H
Hudeckova
Maria
M
Avdicova
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008288:Malaria / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000191:economics* / Q000517:prevention & control; D008297:Male; D015767:Mefloquine / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008875:Middle Aged; D018154:Slovakia; D055815:Young Adult
D000962:Antimalarials; D015767:Mefloquine