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OBJECTIVES: To determine the direct and indirect costs of medical care provided to cases of dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever/dengue shock syndrome (DHF/DSS) between 1997 and 2003 in Zulia State, Venezuela.METHODS: The total number of patients with dengue and DHF/DSS was obtained from records belonging to the Regional Epidemiology Office of the state of Zulia and from reports of cases that were confirmed in the Virology Section of Dr. Americo Negrette's Clinical Research Institute, Zulia University, Maracaibo, Venezuela, between 1 January 1997 and 31 December 2003. Direct costs included the cost of emergency medical care for all cases and hospital costs for cases with DHF/DSS (cost per bed-day and laboratory expenses). The costs connected to absence from work among patients over 15 years of age and mothers who accompanied their children under 15 years of age comprised the indirect costs, which were adjusted for the proportion of men and women in the labor force. Calculations were based on the minimum yearly wage, and results were given in United States dollars, converted according to each year's average exchange rate.RESULTS: During the study period, 33 857 cases of dengue and DHF/DSS were seen. Of them, 30 251 (89.35%) were cases of dengue, and 3 606 (10.65%) were cases of DHF/DSS. Six cases of DHF/DSS died (lethality rate: 0.2 per 100 cases of DHF/DSS). Direct costs were US$ 474 251.70; of these costs, US$ 132 042.30 were spent on emergency medical care and US$ 342 209.40 on the hospital costs of DHF/DSS cases. Indirect costs were US$ 873 825.84 and comprised 64.8% of overall expenditures (US$ 1 348 077.54) connected to this disease during the study years.CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study on the economic impact of dengue in the state of Zulia and in Venezuela. In spite of some limitations, results show that dengue is an important public health problem that causes great expense because of temporary absenteeism from work and that undermines regional and national economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]