Title:
EFFECTS OF ONCHOCERCIASIS ILLNESS ON EXPENDITURES OF RURAL HOUSEHOLDS IN NORTH-CENTRAL NIGERIA

Authors:
Ogebe, F. O ;Idoko, D.A and Adanu, D.O.

Abstract:
The study assessed the effects of onchocerciasis illness on expenditures of rural households in North-Central Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was adopted to collect data from 556 households affected with onchocerciasis in North-Central Nigeria. Descriptive statistics and household expenditure models were used for the analysis. Households affected with onchocerciasis ate fewer meals per day compared to past days of no onchocerciasis illness. The result showed that only 32.5% of the affected households in the study area had three meals per day during onchocerciasis attack compared to 67.5% before onchocerciasis attack. The household expenditure models revealed a negative relationship between onchocerciasis illness and food expenditure (-0.007), education expenditure (-1.103) and housing expenditure (-0.170). The study revealed a positive relationship between health consumption of affected households and household income (0.052), sales of assets (0.059), borrowing (0.433) and desaving(0.024).There is need to realize how devastating the economic effect of onchocerciasis illness are on the expenditures of patients who suffer this illness. It is evident that most families do not have formal support, having to manage the high catastrophic cost burden that onchocerciasis illness place on them .The study recommends provision of Social security scheme so as to ameliorate the significant economic impacts of onchocerciasis illness on the expenditures of the households.