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Background: Since the end of the 20th century, dengue has periodically devastated Paraguay. Its high morbidity and mortality translate into a high global socio-economic impact and a high burden on health care systems., Aim: To determine the economic cost and burden of dengue in Paraguay., Methods: The direct and indirect costs of dengue were estimated in both outpatient and hospitalized cases. Likewise, the years of life adjusted for disability (DALY) were calculated from the sum of the years of life lost (YPLL) due to premature mortality in the population and years lost due to disability (DVSP)., Results: The unit cost per ambulatory case was US dollars 52.5 and for hospitalized patients US dollars 300 with a total cost for the 4 years of US dollars 276,804.864 and US dollars 23,236.45, respectively. The AVPP were 18,469.7 per million inhabitants; the DVSP of 185,835 and the DALYs 32,676 years per million inhabitants., Conclusions: Dengue imposes considerable costs for both the health sector and the economy in general in Paraguay.

Tuberculosis is a public health problem in South America, but numerous control strategies have proven ineffective in settings with intense transmission. This study aimed to determine whether the triple border region between Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay is an area of high tuberculosis transmission. An ecological study was conducted with incidence data and population estimates for the three countries. Mean incidence rates were calculated for 2001 to 2007. Spatial analysis techniques identified high-incidence areas in the region using maps with Bayesian smoothing of rates and spatial averages. During the target period, Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil, had the highest incidence, followed by Ciudad del Este in Paraguay, and Puerto Iguazú in Argentina. The analysis showed a spatial cluster of municipalities with high tuberculosis risk in the triple border region. Tuberculosis in the tri-border area shows increasing or stable incidence rates and municipalities with incidence rates above the State average. The area has high tuberculosis incidence and therefore heavy transmission of the disease.