Burden of Communicable Diseases in Women of Childbearing Age from 1990 through 2021 and Projection to 2030: A Global Analysis Across the COVID-19 Pandemic

There is a lack of high-quality studies that systematically analyze the burden of communicable diseases (CDs) among women of childbearing age (WCBA), incorporate the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and provide forecasts to 2030. In this study, we accessed data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 for WCBA with level 4 causes from 1990 through 2021, analyzed the temporal change patterns and projected the incidences to 2030. The results revealed that in 2021 there were 1.3 million deaths (39.8% of all causes), 21.2 million years lived with disability and 88.9 million disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) for CDs among WCBA, representing increases of 60.0%, 36.5% and 50.4% from 2019, respectively. COVID-19, mother-to-child transmission diseases of Triple Elimination Initiative, and tuberculosis were the top three causes, collectively accounting for 73.7% and 64.4% of total CD deaths and DALYs, respectively, in 2021. The DALYs were predominantly in low and low-middle socio-demographic index settings, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The global incidence of CDs excluding COVID-19 among WCBA is projected to increase to 5.42 billion (CI: 5.40–5.45 billion) by 2030, with the crude rate decreasing to 258,215.3 per 100,000. In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic reversed previously declining trends in the CD burden among WCBA. In the postpandemic era, CD prevention and control strategies targeting WCBA must be promptly realigned according to disease-specific characteristics to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.3 and the World Health Organization’s strategic priorities for women’s health.