title: Economic cost analysis of malaria case management at the household level during the malaria elimination phase in The People's Republic of China.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In China, malaria has been posing a significant economic burden on households. To evaluate malaria economic burden in terms of both direct and indirect costs has its meaning in improving the effectiveness of malaria elimination program in China.
  
  
  METHODS
  A number of study sites (eight counties in five provinces) were selected from the malaria endemic area in China, representing the different levels of malaria incidence, risk classification, economic development. A number of households with malaria cases (n = 923) were surveyed during the May to December in 2012 to collect information on malaria economic burden. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the basic profiles of selected malaria cases in terms of their gender, age group, occupation and malaria type. The malaria economic costs were evaluated by direct and indirect costs. Comparisons were carried out by using the chi-square test (or Z-test) and the Mann-Whitney U test among malaria cases with reference to local/imported malaria patients, hospitalized/out patients, and treatment hospitals.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average cost of malaria per case was 1 691.23 CNY (direct cost was 735.41 CNY and indirect cost was 955.82 CNY), which accounted for 11.1 % of a household's total income. The average costs per case for local and imported malaria were 1 087.58 CNY and 4271.93 CNY, respectively. The average cost of a malaria patient being diagnosed and treated in a hospital at the county level or above (3 975.43 CNY) was 4.23 times higher than that of malaria patient being diagnosed and treated at a village or township hospital (938.80 CNY).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study found that malaria has been posing a significant economic burden on households in terms of direct and indirect costs. There is a need to improve the effectiveness of interventions in order to reduce the impact costs of malaria, especially of imported infections, in order to eliminate the disease in China.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, 200025, People's Republic of China.|Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology, Ministry of Health, Shanghai, 200025, People's Republic of China.|WHO Collaborating Center for Tropical Diseases, Shanghai, 200025, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Shang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Statistics, School of Public Health, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510182, China.
authors.forename: Jin-Xiang
authors.initials: JX
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, 200025, People's Republic of China.|Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology, Ministry of Health, Shanghai, 200025, People's Republic of China.|WHO Collaborating Center for Tropical Diseases, Shanghai, 200025, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Duo-Quan
authors.initials: DQ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, 200025, People's Republic of China. lisz@chinacdc.cn.|Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology, Ministry of Health, Shanghai, 200025, People's Republic of China. lisz@chinacdc.cn.|WHO Collaborating Center for Tropical Diseases, Shanghai, 200025, People's Republic of China. lisz@chinacdc.cn.
authors.forename: Shi-Zhu
authors.initials: SZ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Life Sciences Department, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rollinson
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, 200025, People's Republic of China.|Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology, Ministry of Health, Shanghai, 200025, People's Republic of China.|WHO Collaborating Center for Tropical Diseases, Shanghai, 200025, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Shui-Sen
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, 200025, People's Republic of China.|Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology, Ministry of Health, Shanghai, 200025, People's Republic of China.|WHO Collaborating Center for Tropical Diseases, Shanghai, 200025, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Nong
authors.initials: XN
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019090:Case Management; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008288:Malaria / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: China; Direct costs; Economic cost analysis; Health facilities; Indirect costs; Malaria