Household expenditure on malaria prevention and treatment for families in the town of Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso

Abstract

A study of household expenditure associated with malaria prevention and treatment was carried out in the town of Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. In January 1992 interviews were conducted with the heads of 150 families concerning expenditure during the past 6 months (corresponding to the peak transmission season). Families were selected by cluster sampling in the central, intermediate and outlying zones of the town. Families consisted of 6–7 people on average and had a total average monthly income of US $288 per month. During the preceding transmission season families had experienced an average of 16 episodes of malaria (‘fever’) and 85% treated this illness with traditional or modern drugs without reference to a health agent or healer. Seventy-seven per cent of families had been given a prescription by a health agent for one or more episodes of malaria. The average total cost of treatment for the preceding 6 months was US $42 per family. Malaria prevention techniques included chemical prophylaxis, aerosol sprays, mosquito coils and non-im-pregnated bed nets and the average cost over the previous 6 months was estimated as US $33 per family. Expenditure for prevention and treatment was highest in the central zone of the town. The overall expenditure on malaria prevention and treatment (US $75) was nearly 5% of total family income during the 6 months transmission season. These findings confirm that there is a pattern of high expenditure on disease prevention and treatment among families in many parts of Africa and suggest that family resources could be used more effectively to promote better health.