ArticlePloS one2024
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on excess maternal deaths in Brazil: A two-year assessment.
Article in PloS one, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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4 citing papers in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.
- Binational Analysis of Maternal Mortality Between Brazil and Portugal in 2020-2023: A Population-Based Epidemiological Study.Nursing reports (Pavia, Italy) · 2026Article
- The effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the maternal mortality rate and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal in Brazil.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Analysis of the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal mortality trends, 2011-2021.Revista latino-americana de enfermagem · 2025Article
- Time series analysis of comprehensive maternal deaths in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic.Scientific reports · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAccurate estimates of the COVID-19 pandemic's indirect impacts are crucial, especially in low- and middle-income countries. This study aims to update estimates of excess maternal deaths in Brazil during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.
methodsThis was an exploratory mixed ecological study using the counterfactual approach. The observed maternal deaths were gathered from the Mortality Information System (SIM) for the period between March 2015 and February 2022. Expected deaths from March 2020 to February 2022 were estimated using quasipoisson generalized additive models, considering quadrimester, age group, and their interaction as predictor variables. Analyses were performed in R version 4.1.2, RStudio, version 2023.03.1+446 and carried out with support from the "mgcv" and "plot_model" libraries.
resultsA total of 5,040 maternal deaths were reported, with varying excess mortality across regions and age groups, resulting in 69% excess maternal mortality throughout Brazil during the first two years of the pandemic. The Southeast region had 50% excess mortality throughout the first two years and 76% excess in the second year. The North region had 69% excess mortality, increasing in the second year, particularly among women aged 20-34. The Northeast region showed 80% excess mortality, with a significant increase in the second year, especially among women aged 35-49. The Central-West region had 75% excess mortality, higher in the second year and statistically significant among women aged 35-49. The South region showed 117% excess mortality, reaching 203% in the second year among women aged 20-34, but no excess mortality in the 10-19 age category.
conclusionsOver two years, Brazil saw a significant impact on maternal excess deaths, regardless of region and pandemic year. The highest peak occurred between March and June 2021, emphasizing the importance of timely and effective epidemic responses to prevent avoidable deaths and prepare for new crises.
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