Neglected Tropical Diseases, Health, and Education: Evidence From China
研究了中国2006年血吸虫病综合防控政策对胎儿期暴露儿童的健康和教育的影响，发现政策降低了患病率并改善了健康和教育成果，主要由男孩驱动，机制是提高了家庭收入和支出。
While extensive research has examined the impacts of fatal infectious diseases, relatively little attention has been devoted to neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), which are typically non-fatal but impose significant health, social, and economic burdens. This study investigates the effects of a comprehensive schistosomiasis prevention and control policy implemented in China in 2006 on disease prevalence, as well as on the health and educational outcomes of compulsory education age children who had in-utero exposure to the policy. Using the policy as a quasi-experiment, we employ a difference-in-differences (DID) identification strategy. We find that the policy reduced schistosomiasis prevalence and led to improvements in both health and educational outcomes among children with in-utero exposure. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that these effects are primarily driven by boys. The exploration of potential mechanisms indicates the policy improved family income and educational expenditure. The results of this study provide empirical support for the effectiveness of a comprehensive prevention and control policy targeting schistosomiasis and possibly many other NTDs.