OBJECTIVE:
to estimate the burden of disease due to congenital syphilis in Santa Catarina state, Brazil, 2009.
METHODS:
an ecological study analysing the state's health macro-regions in 2009. Congenital syphilis deaths and reported cases were investigated according to the method used by the Brazilian Global Burden of Disease Study (YLL - Years of Life Lost; YLD - Years Lived with Disability; DALY - Disability-Adjusted Life Years).
RESULTS:
no congenital syphilis deaths were reported in the period. As such, YLL was zero and DALY was equal to YLD. A total of 52.92 DALY were estimated, resulting in a rate of 0.86 DALY/100,000 inhabitants and 68.07 DALY/100,000 inhabitants under 1 year of age.
CONCLUSION:
the burden of disease due to congenital syphilis was attributed exclusively to the disability indicator. It can be considered as relatively low in the majority of Santa Catarina's health macro-regions.
Syphilis, Congenital; Sexually Transmitted Diseases; Ecological Studies; Disability-Adjusted Life Years