Costs, benefits and operational implications of using quantitative techniques to screen for schistosomiasis haematobium in Egypt.

The official strategy for schistosomiasis control in Egypt relies on individual case detection and treatment. Screening for Schistosoma haematobium has traditionally involved urine sedimentation which shows whether or not eggs are present in the urine, thereby providing only a qualitative assessment of infection status. Recently the Ministry of Health introduced the nucleopore filtration technique into a few villages to assess its applicability for broader use in areas where S. haematobium is endemic. This method gives an indirect quantitative measure of morbidity in terms of egg counts/10 ml urine. The overall purpose of this study was to provide rapid feedback to the Ministry on the likely implications of expanding the use of the filtration technique by examining the benefits, costs and operational problems that may be involved. From 2 villages in Giza Governorate, systematic random samples were taken from the general populations and from schools. Each selected person provided a urine specimen on which the two diagnostic techniques were performed. Filtration offered no additional benefits over sedimentation in terms of defining if a person was infected or not, with sensitivities ranging from 59.6%-75% for filtration and from 60%-73.1% for sedimentation. The additional non-labor costs of using the filtration technique in the two villages were calculated and showed that, if extended to all rural health units in Egypt, the Ministry would need to find an additional 31.6 million pounds (US$9.5 million) each year. A number of operational problems would also be involved in the wider application of the technique.

Economics and tropical diseases: a research agenda using schistosomiasis as an example.

There is a growing interest in health economics in developing countries. In this paper, some of the economic literature concerning schistosomiasis is reviewed and a set of economic questions is derived which could form the basis of a broad research agenda for tropical diseases. The major criterion used to identify research issues is that they should be of practical value to control programs.