02723nas a2200361   4500000000100000008004100001260003700042653002900079653001300108653002800121653001600149100001600165700001500181700001300196700001600209700001400225700001500239700001100254700001200265700001200277700001100289700001500300700001600315700001300331700001200344700001800356245010100374856010900475300000900584490000600593520174800599022001402347       2024                            d  bPublic Library of Science (PLoS)10aMass drug administration10aTrachoma10aCosts and Cost Analysis10aSouth Sudan1 aJesudason T1 aSanders AM1 aOhidor S1 aDelahunt AS1 aDeathe AR1 aBoniface L1 aBuot I1 aBikis M1 aMakoy S1 aBol YY1 aNiquette J1 aCallahan EK1 aWalker D1 aNash SD1 aFlueckiger RM00aThe cost of mass drug administration for trachoma in two counties of the Republic of South Sudan  uhttps://journals.plos.org/globalpublichealth/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pgph.0003242&type=printable  a1-120 v43 a<p>Community-wide distribution of azithromycin, otherwise known as mass drug administration (MDA), is a component of the World Health Organization-endorsed SAFE strategy for the elimination of trachoma as a public health problem. In the Republic of South Sudan, 2.9 million people are known to live in areas that are known to require interventions and warrant MDA. This study estimated the total costs and cost per person treated during MDA in two counties, Kapoeta North and Kapoeta East, in South Sudan. MDA was conducted in Kapoeta North and Kapoeta East counties from October 2020 to January 2021. Following training and community sensitization, a core team, consisting of a height measurer, a drug dispenser, and a data recorder, delivered the intervention. A detailed costing database was developed in Microsoft Excel. An ingredients approach was used to capture all financial and economic costs incurred from a payer perspective. Primary outcomes included the total cost of MDA in each county and the cost per person treated in each county. In Kapoeta North, 58,226 people were treated at a financial cost of $71,350 USD. This corresponds to a unit cost of $1.22 per person treated. The total economic cost of the intervention was $99,036, at a unit cost of $1.70 per person treated. In Kapoeta East, 156,092 people were treated at a total financial cost of $168,404. This corresponds to a unit cost of $1.08 per person treated. The total economic cost of the intervention was $243,205, at a unit cost of $1.56 per person treated. The study highlights the cost variation for MDA implementation across two counties of South Sudan. As the South Sudan trachoma program expands, this information will be valuable for program planning.</p>
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