Economic Burden of Malaria: The Case of Northwestern Ethiopia
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Date
2020-06
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A.A.U
Abstract
This thesis explores the economic burden of malaria incidence by controlling household
practices regarding malaria prevention in Jabi-tehnan District. It uses household survey data
collected by the Social Sciences and Impact Assessment Unit of the International Centre of Insect
Physiology and Ecology (icipe). This study aimed at assessing and examining factors
contributing to malaria and the impact of the incidence by using both descrptive statistics and
econometrics aproach. In the descriptive analysis, it is assessed that malaria causes on average
465 ETB expenditure per person, led to 29 days of absenteeism from school, and 10 workdays
lost. We use OLS and RE for malaria deteminant regrssion. Maize productivity function is
estimated by using OLS, RE, 2SLS, GLS, and 3SLS. In the first part of the econometrics analysis,
the determinants of malaria incidence are estimated. The result from the estimation suggests
household practices, nutritional status, and catching diseases other than malaria significantly
determine malaria incidence. Household practices indicator variables significantly explain the
difference in the incidence of malaria among households. In the second part of the econometric
analysis, we estimate the impact of malaria on maize productivity by using various models (OLS,
RE, 2SLS, GLS, and 3SLS). The results differ across models. Under OLS and RE model
estimation: malaria negatively affects maize productivity while taking malaria as an exogenous
variable. Malaria is insignificant in determining maize productivity in other models that uses
instrumental variable). This may be attributed to the substitution of ill family labor with hired
ones and/or cooperation of the community. We also found that malaria incidence in the
household increases labor days per hectare since illness makes individuals far from being
effective. This is estimated by using 3SLS. Based on the results from this study, we imply that any
intervention of malaria reduction needs to consider the health-seeking behavior of households.
This helps to deal with the systematic difference in households’ practices regarding malaria and
its prevention methods. Policies intended to reduce the burden of malaria should not only
consider the short-run economic consequences, rather emphasize the burden it imposes on an
individual’s capacity.
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Keywords
Economic burden, Jabi-tehnan, Health-seeking behavior, Malaria incidence