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The fertility-inhibiting effect of mosquitoes: Socio-economic differences in response to the Zika crisis in Colombia

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  • Gamboa, Luis Fernando
  • Rodriguez Lesmes, Paul

Abstract

We estimated the impact of the Zika virus outbreak on birth rates and demand for health care services in Colombia. Our analysis exploits the variation in the level of natural protection against mosquito-transmitted diseases across the country. This characteristic induced exogenous variation in Zika incidence, which allows us to construct a control group of municipalities with similar historical fertility trends but with differential exposure to the Zika crisis. We implemented a difference-in-differences model after matching, as well as synthetic control. We found a decrease in birth rates of approx. 10% in the last two quarters of 2019. The impact of the virus was similar irrespective of the women’s education level, and we found no discernible impact on teenage pregnancy.

Suggested Citation

  • Gamboa, Luis Fernando & Rodriguez Lesmes, Paul, 2019. "The fertility-inhibiting effect of mosquitoes: Socio-economic differences in response to the Zika crisis in Colombia," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 63-72.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ehbiol:v:35:y:2019:i:c:p:63-72
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ehb.2019.05.001
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    2. Guerra-Cújar, María Elvira & Prem, Mounu & Rodriguez-Lesmes, Paul & Vargas, Juan F., 2020. "The Peace Baby Boom: Evidence from Colombia’s peace agreement with FARC," SocArXiv c2ypd, Center for Open Science.
    3. Cho, Hyunkuk & Kwon, Jihyeon, 2021. "Pandemic and hospital avoidance: Evidence from the 2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak in South Korea," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 203(C).
    4. Cortés, Darwin & Gamboa, Luis Fernando & Rodríguez-Lesmes, Paul, 2020. "Contraception, Intra-household Behaviour and Epidemic: Evidence from the Zika crisis in Colombia," Working papers 66, Red Investigadores de Economía.
    5. Lívia Madeira Triaca & Felipe Garcia Ribeiro & César Augusto Oviedo Tejada, 2021. "Mosquitoes, birth rates and regional spillovers: Evidence from the Zika epidemic in Brazil," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 100(3), pages 795-813, June.
    6. Barron, Kai & Bradshaw, Debbie & Parry, Charles D. H. & Dorrington, Rob & Groenewald, Pam & Laubscher, Ria & Matzopoulos, Richard, 2021. "Alcohol and Short-Run Mortality: Evidence from a Modern-Day Prohibition," Rationality and Competition Discussion Paper Series 273, CRC TRR 190 Rationality and Competition.

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