Publication

Assessing the burden of medical impoverishment by cause: a systematic breakdown by disease in Ethiopia

Authored by:

Verguet, S., Memirie, S.T., and Norheim, O.F.

Full Citation:

Verguet, S., Memirie, S.T., and Norheim, O.F. 2016. Assessing the burden of medical impoverishment by cause: a systematic breakdown by disease in Ethiopia. BMC Medicine. 14(1).

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Additional key concepts from this publication:

Vaccines can help people avoid economic impoverishment resulting from medical costs.

Key Evidence: A study modeling the relationship between disease and poverty in Ethiopia found that among the top 20 causes of death in Ethiopia, diarrhea and lower respiratory infections (LRIs) are the top two drivers of medical impoverishment. It is estimated that in 2013, out-of-pocket direct medical costs for diarrheal disease drove an estimated 164,000 households below the poverty line (representing 47% of all the diarrhea cases), and LRIs led to an estimated 59,000 cases of poverty (17% of LRI cases). Of the top 10 health-associated drivers of poverty, four are at least partially vaccine-preventable (1. Diarrhea, 2. LRI, 4. TB. 10. Pertussis).