(517) Under-5 Mortality and DALY Trends From Airway Foreign Body Aspiration in Ethiopia: Infant Disparities

Introduction: Foreign body aspiration is a preventable cause of pediatric morbidity and mortality, with disproportionate severity in low-resource settings. We examined long-term trends in under-5 mortality and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) from airway foreign body aspiration (AFBA) in Ethiopia, with age- and sex-specific analyses.

Methods: We conducted a descriptive analysis using Global Burden of Disease estimates from 1990-2023. AFBA-related mortality and DALY rates among children under 5 years of age in Ethiopia were compared to neighboring countries. Outcomes were reported per 100,000 individuals with 95% uncertainty intervals and stratified by age ( < 1 year, 12-23 months, and 2-4 years) and sex. Absolute and percent changes were calculated across benchmark years using reported point estimates.

Results: From 1990-2023, Ethiopia’s under-5 mortality and DALY rates from AFBA increased modestly, contrasting with declining trends in Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Sudan. National rates declined through the mid-2000s before rising thereafter. Age-stratified analyses demonstrated substantial reductions among children aged 1-4 years. In contrast, infants under 1 year of age experienced worsening outcomes with mortality increasing by over 25% and remaining highest across all age groups. Male children consistently demonstrated higher mortality and DALY rates than females.

Conclusions: Ethiopia’s increasing under-5 burden from AFBA reflects divergent age-specific trends, with worsening infant outcomes offsetting meaningful improvement among children 1-4 years old. These findings underscore infants as a high-risk subgroup and highlight the importance of age-targeted prevention and improved pediatric airway capacity.