Economic cost of malaria on households during a transmission season in Khartoum State, Sudan

This study was conducted in 2004 among 1200 households in Khartoum to estimate the direct and indirect economic costs of malaria for households. Information on the household and the malaria episodes was collected (care-seeking behaviour, working days lost and expenditure on malaria treatment). There were 327 episodes of malaria; 25.2% of the households reported at least 1 malaria episode during the month preceding the survey. In only 18.0% of malaria episodes was the individual economically active. The average treatment expenditure per fully cured case was US$ 6.3 (SD 5.9). The average indirect cost per fully cured case was US$ 3.2 (SD 9.2); it was higher for individuals working in the informal sector than those employed in the formal sector.