Exploring Socio-Economic Impact of Dengue Fever in Dhaka City: A Statistical Modeling Approach

Abstract

There was a sudden increase in dengue affected people in Dhaka city during 2018 and 2019, considering the seriousness of the disease, this study attempted to investigate the socio-economic impact of dengue fever instead of its biological significance. The study considered a primary dataset of 235 affected and 235 unaffected participants from Dhaka city. The impact of dengue infection on the monthly expenditure of the patient was determined by the multiple linear regression models. The impact of Dengue on the human productivity of the respondents was assessed by another multiple linear regression model; the dependent variable absence (number of days absent from work) was applied as a proxy for measuring the productivity of the patient. Moreover, an important objective was to find out potential determinants of dengue in Dhaka city. Binary logistic regression applied for detecting the factors which were responsible for occurring dengue disease. The study found no significant association of family cost with dengue incidence but the loss of productivity turned out as statistically significant. People who lived alone were identified to experience the disease more, which might occur due to their insincerity about this disease. So, living alone persons need to increase their consciousness considering the seriousness of this disease. It was highly recommended by respondents to use mosquito repellent and net during sleeping, changing the water regularly from plant container, providing regular mosquito spray, and developing a drainage system in Dhaka city.