Case management of malaria in Africa has significantly progressed over the past two decades, necessitating updated cost estimates for effective malaria control policies. In Uganda, a costing exercise revealed that the mean societal economic cost for treating suspected malaria was $15.12 per outpatient and $27.21 per inpatient case. Households incurred the majority of these costs, with 81% of outpatient and 72% of inpatient expenses borne by them. Notably, both poorer and richer households faced similar costs per malaria case; for example, a case cost 26% of monthly consumption for the lowest quintile compared to 8% for the highest. The overall societal cost of malaria treatment in Uganda was estimated at $577 million in 2021, highlighting the substantial financial burden on households and the need for equitable resource allocation in malaria prevention efforts.
