Donald Shepard, Ph.D., and Jose Suaya, M.D., Ph.D., of Heller's Schneider Institute for Health Policy, Brandeis University organized an international workshop that was held from Monday, May 1 through Friday, May 5, 2006 on the Brandeis campus. Nine researchers from five countries, including Brazil, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama, and Venezuela, participated in the workshop.

Participants, left to right: Front: Clare Hurley (Brandeis), Leticia Castillo (Guatemala), Evelia Quiroz (Panama), Donald Shepard (Brandeis), Fatima Garrido (Venezuela), Celina Turchi Martelli (Brazil); Middle: Romeo Montoya (El Salvador), Rafael Chacon (El Salvador), Jose Suaya (Brandeis), Joao Siquiera (Brazil); Back: Blas Armien (Panama), Carlos Ovando (Guatemala), Mariana Caram (Brandeis).

The researchers have been studying the epidemiologic and socioeconomic impact of dengue fever on patients, households, medical providers, and governments. The main objective of the workshop was to analyze the data collected in these studies, which are sponsored by PDVI.

"With increasing urbanization, dengue is a growing public health threat in tropical countries," Dr. Shepard said. "The research is showing that expenditures on medical treatment are only part of the economic burden. When lost work time, school absenteeism, and travel expenses in obtaining care and supporting patients are factored in, the cost expands."

Altogether, the researchers enrolled and interviewed 1226 presumed dengue patients. The majority of these patients (77%) had their clinical diagnosis confirmed by a laboratory test. As evidence of the range of institutions and ages affected by the disease, 30% of these patients were hospitalized, while the remaining 70% were outpatients; also; 44% were children under age 18.

Shepard and Suaya, along with Schneider Institute researchers Mariana Caram and Clare Hurley, make up the Program Management Team of the PDVI-sponsored studies. The Team has been providing technical assistance to the researchers for all the research steps, including proposal development, study design, implementation, and analysis.