The burden of dengue in South American countries, 1990-2019: Estimates from the Global Burden of Disease study 2019.

Objectives: To describe the main dengue metrics generated by the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2019 for South American countries between 1990 and 2019.

Study Design: A descriptive study was carried out using the metrics obtained by the GBD Study 2019.

Methods: The metrics of incidence, years of life lost due to premature death (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs) and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) were evaluated, grouped by sex and country, between 1990 and 2019. The metrics were presented with age-standardized rates per 100,000 inhabitants and their respective uncertainty intervals (95%UI).

Results: The five countries with the highest DALY rates in 2019 were Suriname [78.60 DALYs per 100,000 inhabitants (95%UI 20.06-117.82)], Colombia [57.76 DALYs per 100,000 inhabitants (95%UI 44.35-69.97)], Guyana [29.21 DALYs per 100,000 inhabitants (95%UI 18.21-31.13)], Venezuela [22.58 DALYs per 100,000 inhabitants (95%UI 12.68-31.13)] and Brazil [18.86 DALYs per 100,000 inhabitants (95%UI 12.33-23.43)]. Between 2000 and 2010, there was a relative increase in DALY rates in practically all countries, with the highest percentages in Bolivia (222.5%), Venezuela (158.66%), Brazil (127.50%), Paraguay (90.22%) and Suriname (36.04%). Between 2010 and 2019, all countries showed a relative reduction in DALY rates.

Conclusions: This study contributed to the understanding of the dengue burden on the South American continent, pointing to a relative increase between 2000 and 2010 and a relative reduction between 2010 and 2019 in practically all countries.