Families and caretakers may experience acute or lasting loss of wages associated with caring for a child ill with, or permanently disabled by, a vaccine-preventable disease.

Key Evidence: In rural Malawi, even though medical care for cholera is free-of-charge in the public sector, more than half of families had to borrow money or sell livestock or other assets to compensate for the lost wages of patients or caregivers and other costs (such as for food and transportation) incurred as a result of an episode of cholera.

Key Evidence: Among families participating in a study in Western Cape, South Africa, 35% of mothers who were previously employed stopped working to care for children who had survived tuberculosis meningitis with permanent disabilities. 19% of families reported experiencing financial loss as a result of caring for these disabled children.