Economic Impact of Dengue Virus in Mexico Over One Decade: A Systematic Literature Review (2010-2020)

Dengue is a major mosquito-borne viral disease worldwide, imposing significant healthcare burden on governments in countries where it is endemic, such as Mexico. This systematic review focused on studies reporting the cost of dengue in Mexico during 2010-2020. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first review discussing this topic in Mexico. We analysed all published direct costs associated with care, prevention, and surveillance, as well as indirect costs.

A comprehensive online search was conducted using Embase, MEDLINE, Evidence-Based Medicine Reviews, SciELO, and LILACS. Articles reporting cost data published during 2010-2020 in English and Spanish were included. Reports from the National Ministry of Health and grey literature during the same period were also reviewed. Following the PICOS (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome and Study design) framework, articles reporting direct and indirect costs were included. The National Health Service Wales tool was used to assess the quality of the studies included.

Seven articles fulfiled the inclusion criteria. All articles reported the nationwide cost of dengue, and three focused on specific Mexican states. The dengue-related economic burden was substantial, peaking in 2013, with annual costs of $176.82 million (adjusted present value, $281.60 million). All the searches were verified in January 2023.

The economic burden of dengue in Mexico is high and is further impacted by outbreaks, resulting in significant costs to the healthcare system and productivity losses. The heterogeneity of the methodological approaches in the cost studies reviewed makes it a challenge to compare them.