New Delhi: Antibiotic-resistant typhoid infections accounted for at least 87 percent of India’s disease-related economic burden in 2023, according to a study in The Lancet Regional Health Southeast Asia.
The total economic burden due to typhoid fever was estimated at Rs 123 billion.
Children under the age of 10 suffered the greatest economic burden, contributing to more than half the costs, the researchers, including those from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Christian Medical College in Vellore, found.
They also estimated that households shouldered 91 percent of the costs, and 70,000 households faced “catastrophic” health care costs.
Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh (including Telangana), Tamil Nadu and West Bengal were estimated to account for 51 per cent of the national costs.
Typhoid fever is an infectious disease that is usually transmitted through contaminated food or water. Symptoms may include high fever, fatigue, headache and stomach pain.
The findings provide key evidence to support the introduction of the typhoid conjugate vaccine into the national immunization schedule, which is under consideration, the authors said.
Evidence from the study also supports increasing the control of antibiotic resistance and guiding national health financing policies, they said.
Researchers analyzed empirical data from India on typhoid epidemiology, care seeking, clinical outcomes, and estimated direct and indirect costs for hospitalized and non-hospitalized typhoid fever patients.
“Typhoid fever imposes a significant economic burden on India, shaped by fluoroquinolone resistance, children under ten years of age, and the country’s high-burden provincial states, resulting in significant household financial strain,” the authors write.
“Fluoroquinolone-resistant infections accounted for 87 percent of total costs,” they said.
The fluoroquinolone antibiotic helps treat severe infections and is said to be very effective in reducing typhoid fever within four days.
The authors said the available evidence on the economic burden of typhoid fever is fragmented and geographically limited.
The study presents a comprehensive, nationally representative assessment, they said.
The analysis also showed that fluoroquinolone-resistant infections drive the economic burden of typhoid fever in India, disproportionately affecting young children and placing a significant financial burden on families, the team said.
