Where are micro policies necessary in the scope to mitigate a neglected disease?
Hisako Nomura, Mitsuyasu Yabe, Joseph Arbiol
Building: Law Building
Room: Breakout 4 - Law Building, Room 106
Date: 2012-07-11 03:30 PM – 05:00 PM
Last modified: 2011-12-02
Abstract
Leptospirosis is endemic in Philippines. The disease is also known as neglected tropical disease. It is neglected because it can be confused with a mild flu although it can result in a fatal case. Because of this, the economic burden of the disease varies at the individual level. It is also neglected as it affects people of neglected areas. The incidence rate of the disease is increasing especially in the areas with poor drainage system, poor waste disposal, poor sanitation with increased frequency of flooding. However, for some individuals, the economic burden due to the disease could even further marginalize them from already economically difficult situation. To mitigate the economic impact of having diseases, the most common strategy for the government is to provide the national health insurance and public hospitals which assures even distribution of social welfare. However, when we analyzed cases based on combining qualitative and quantitative data, we found policies at the micro level are as effective because they offer complementary mitigation strategies. We used fuzzy set analysis to find combinations of set causes that result in various degree of the disease’s economic burden to the individual cases. The findings positively help mitigate not only the impact of the disease to the patient but also the economic impact due to the disease.