Direct and indirect costs of chickenpox in young children.

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the medical and economic or societal costs of chickenpox in young children using a descriptive study

METHODS

Children under 5 years of age attending 124 Sydney childcare centres who were reported as having chickenpox were studied to assess the costs of medication use and medical consultations, days of care missed, and parental costs resulting from lost time from work and alternate childcare costs.

RESULTS

There were 174 children (92 girls and 79 boys; in three the sex was not stated) who missed a mean of 5.5 days of care because of chickenpox, currently valued at $154. Medical costs were valued at $33 per child, based on 0.97 medical visits, and topical and oral medication. Labour costs resulting from parental work absenteeism were valued at $160 or $345 depending on the method of calculation, whilst direct economic costs of $24 were incurred through use of alternate childcare arrangements. Total costs including those incurred by secondary cases and by rare hospitalisations were in the range of $393-$578 per affected child.

CONCLUSIONS

Medical costs of chickenpox in children are small relative to costs incurred as a result of parental work absenteeism and to costs of foregone childcare. Ascribing precise work-related costs should take into account some capacity to make up lost work time. Such data will be required when determining the cost-benefit of childhood varicella immunisation.