Burden of Malaria in Iran, 1990–2010: Findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010

BACKGROUND: Malaria is a major public health challenge in tropical and semi-tropical countries in terms of high morbidity and mortality. The present study aimed to report the burden of malaria in Iran, extracted from the global burden of disease 2010 study (GBD 2010) covering the period 1990 to 2010, to compare these findings with similar results, and to present some recommendations as potential solutions for gaining more accurate estimations regarding the burden of the disease in Iran. METHODS: Data covering the period from 1990 to 2010 were derived from the GBD 2010, which is published by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). The findings were used to estimate the years lived with disability (YLDs), the years of life lost (YLLs), the disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), and the death rate of malaria in Iran. RESULTS: The GBD 2010 estimated that there was a sharp declining death trend with regard to DALYs and death rate, showing that 4,647.63 DALYs were due to malaria in Iranian people of all ages and both genders, and that DALYs per 100,000 individuals declined from 37.15 in 1990 to 5.87 in 2010. The total number of malaria deaths over the 20 years was 73.37. CONCLUSION: The findings revealed that the burden of malaria decreased remarkably between 1990 and 2010. The explanation for this decrease is the establishment of a malaria surveillance system in various parts of Iran, and utilization of proper intervention and the improvement of infrastructures, which play a role in disease transmission, especially in endemic areas.