Which Infectious Diseases Drive the Highest Absenteeism Costs-An Analysis Based on National Data Covering the Entire Polish Population in the Period of 2018-2023.

Background: Infectious diseases pose a serious epidemiological and economic challenge for all healthcare systems. However, there is a lack of comprehensive analyses assessing the cost of absenteeism attributable to all infectious diseases. Our objective was to evaluate the burden of absenteeism-related costs due to infectious diseases in comparison with other major public health challenges. Methods: We applied the human capital approach to estimate the indirect costs of absenteeism caused by infectious diseases in Poland between 2018 and 2023. In particular, we assessed the relative contribution of different groups of infectious diseases to the overall economic burden. Data were obtained from the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS). Results: The total cost of absenteeism due to infectious diseases in Poland during the six-year period was EUR 5.3 billion. Over 78% of these costs were attributed to pneumonia and other acute lower respiratory tract infections (ICD-10: J12-J22): EUR 1.89 billion, COVID-19 (ICD-10: U07-U09): EUR 1.82 billion, and influenza (ICD-10: J09-J11): EUR 444.5 million. Infectious diseases imposed a greater economic burden in terms of absenteeism than each of the three conditions used as comparators: malignant neoplasms, depression, and ischemic heart disease. Conclusions: Our six-year analysis of sickness absence in Poland indicates that infectious diseases-particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic-are major drivers of productivity loss. When compared with other leading public health challenges, their economic burden is substantial. These findings underscore the importance of investing in preventive measures, particularly vaccination programs.