P926 - GLOBAL BURDEN DISEASE STUDY 2021: MALARIA AND CHILD MALNUTRITION IN BRAZIL

P926

GLOBAL BURDEN DISEASE STUDY 2021: MALARIA AND CHILD MALNUTRITION IN BRAZIL

B. Fux^1,*, V. A. Pereira², R. A. Muller², C. B. do Prado², L. B. Salaroli³

¹Departamento de Patologia, ²Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, Brazil, ³Departamento de Educação Integrada em Saúde , Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, Brazil

Rationale: Malaria is an infectious disease that affects millions of people each year worldwide. Studies suggest that malnourished children, with a compromised immune system, may be more susceptible to infections. This study investigates the relationship between malaria and malnutrition in children across the regions of Brazil.

Methods: Data from the GBD 2021 studies were used to estimate disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) due to Malaria attributable to behavioral risks in Brazil. We report rates per 100,000 population and 95% uncertainty intervals in each region.

Results: At the national level, malaria-related low child weight accounted for 257.25 DALYs, representing 0.00033% of total DALYs, with a rate of 0.12 DALYs per 100,000 inhabitants. Child short stature contributed 95.05 DALYs, or 0.00012% of the total. In the North region, childhood underweight led to 216.28 DALYs (1.09 DALYs/100,000) and stunting 75.16 DALYs (0.38 DALYs/100,000). The Northeast had the next highest DALYs, with underweight and stunting contributing 27.07 and 15.53 DALYs, respectively. In other regions, the burden was lower, with South showing the smallest impact (Central-West – underweight 11.13 DALYs, stunting 4.24 DALYs; Southeast-underweight 2.3 DALYs, stunting 0.1 DALYs; South-underweight 0.48 DALYs, stunting 0.019 DALYs).

Conclusion: The data show that malaria affects malnourished children differently, with higher DALY rates in the North and Northeast regions. This highlights regional health disparities and endemic conditions. Especially in region with highest DALY, integrated interventions are essential, including nutrition and malaria prevention, as well as continuous control and surveillance.

Disclosure of Interest: None declared