Economic burden of hand, foot, and mouth disease in Vietnam; An evidence for priority setting and efficiency management

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is an acute infection in children caused by enteroviruses. Typical cases of HFMD are mild, but increasingly severe complications involving the central nervous system have been observed. With consideration for this issue, this incidence-based study estimated the total costs (converted to 2017 international dollar rates, Int$) incurred from pediatric HFMD incidence and treatment in Vietnam. To this end, 306 cases of HFMD in children were analyzed. Most of the patients were 1 to 3 years old (274 cases, 92.9%), and 234 of the cases (79.3%) were inpatients. No fatality case was found during the study period. The total cost of illness per episode was Int$467, which included direct medical (Int$228) and direct non-medical (Int$239) expenditures. The total cost was more than a half of the average monthly wage of Vietnamese individuals.HFMD remains one of the most economically burdensome communicable diseases in Vietnam. Effective solutions to the financial burdens of HFMD should therefore be implemented.