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OBJECTIVE: To assess the cost-effectiveness of two strategies of home management of under-five fevers in Ghana - treatment using antimalarials only (artesunate-amodiaquine - AAQ) and combined treatment using antimalarials and antibiotics (artesunate-amodiaquine plus amoxicillin - AAQ + AMX). METHODS: We assessed the costs and cost-effectiveness of AAQ and AAQ + AMX compared with a control receiving standard care. Data were collected as part of a cluster randomised controlled trial with a step-wedged design. Approximately, 12, 000 children aged 2-59 months in Dangme West District in southern Ghana were covered. Community health workers delivered the interventions. Costs were analysed from societal perspective, using anaemia cases averted, under-five deaths averted and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) averted as effectiveness measures. RESULTS: Total economic costs for the interventions were US 204, 394. 72 (AAQ) and US 260, 931. 49 (AAQ + AMX). Recurrent costs constituted 89% and 90% of the total direct costs of AAQ and AAQ + AMX, respectively. Deaths averted were 79. 1 (AAQ) and 79. 9 (AAQ + AMX), with DALYs averted being 2264. 79 (AAQ) and 2284. 57 (AAQ + AMX). The results show that cost per anaemia case averted were US 150. 18 (AAQ) and US 227. 49 (AAQ + AMX) and cost per death averted was US 2585. 58 for AAQ and US 3272. 20 for AAQ + AMX. Cost per DALY averted were US 90. 25 (AAQ) and US 114. 21 (AAQ + AMX). CONCLUSION: Both AAQ and AAQ + AMX approaches were cost-effective, each averting one DALY at less than the standard US 150 threshold recommended by the World Health Organisation. However, AAQ was more cost-effective. Home management of under-five fevers in rural settings is cost-effective in reducing under-five mortality.
Nonvignon et al. (Wed,) studied this question.