How does dengue affect the economy?

A WORKSHOP on “The burden and economic cost of dengue in the Philippines” will be held today at the Waterfront Hotel in Lahug, Cebu City.

This is organized by the University of San Carlos (USC) Biology Department led by Prof. Frances Edillo and Brandeis University Schneider Institute for Health Policy of Waltham, Massachusetts, USA led by Prof. Donald Shepard, in collaboration with the Department of Health in Central Visayas.

The workshop will enhance the knowledge and techniques used to estimate the burden and economics of dengue illness and their impact on the health system in the country.

In 2007, Prof. Maridel Borja of the University of the Philippines Manila College of Public Health led a related study on this topic.

Components of this workshop include evaluating the current dengue surveillance system, discussing factors that might lead to underreporting or over reporting, estimating an expansion factor to adjust for underreporting or over reporting, and projecting a realistic picture of the dengue burden in the Philippines.

The workshop will build on previous research, including a 2007 study by Professor Borja. The new study will update and extend these findings, and show the cost to the country’s key institutions, including PhilHealth.

Key experts on dengue from the public, private, and academic sectors, with the range of relevant skills and experiences are invited.

Assistant Health Secretary Dr. Enrique Tayag and USC president Fr. Dionisio Miranda, SVD, are expected to open the workshop.