Spatial patterns of leptospirosis in Ecuador, 2013–2018
Journal
Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
ISSN
1878-3503
Date Issued
2020-03-12
Author(s)
Solange Núñez-González
Christopher Gault
Patricia Granja
Abstract
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title>
<jats:sec>
<jats:title>Background</jats:title>
<jats:p>Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease that is considered an important public health problem in tropical regions and the world's poorest countries.</jats:p>
</jats:sec>
<jats:sec>
<jats:title>Methods</jats:title>
<jats:p>In this ecological study, we included cases of leptospirosis reported in Ecuador from 2013 to 2018. Spatial autocorrelation was evaluated through the global Moran I index and spatial-temporal scan statistics were used to identify high-risk clusters.</jats:p>
</jats:sec>
<jats:sec>
<jats:title>Results</jats:title>
<jats:p>In Ecuador, the leptospirosis incidence rates decreased from 3.3 cases per 100 000 population in 2013 to 0.8 cases per 100 000 population in 2018. The global Moran I index for the study period showed a positive spatial autocorrelation (0.68; p=0.001). We identified three significant spatial-temporal clusters for a high occurrence of leptospirosis incidence located in cantons of the Coast and Amazon regions.</jats:p>
</jats:sec>
<jats:sec>
<jats:title>Conclusions</jats:title>
<jats:p>The clusters identified could be targeted by policymakers and stakeholders in order to direct surveillance and understand the dynamics of the distribution of leptospirosis in Ecuador.</jats:p>
</jats:sec>
<jats:sec>
<jats:title>Background</jats:title>
<jats:p>Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease that is considered an important public health problem in tropical regions and the world's poorest countries.</jats:p>
</jats:sec>
<jats:sec>
<jats:title>Methods</jats:title>
<jats:p>In this ecological study, we included cases of leptospirosis reported in Ecuador from 2013 to 2018. Spatial autocorrelation was evaluated through the global Moran I index and spatial-temporal scan statistics were used to identify high-risk clusters.</jats:p>
</jats:sec>
<jats:sec>
<jats:title>Results</jats:title>
<jats:p>In Ecuador, the leptospirosis incidence rates decreased from 3.3 cases per 100 000 population in 2013 to 0.8 cases per 100 000 population in 2018. The global Moran I index for the study period showed a positive spatial autocorrelation (0.68; p=0.001). We identified three significant spatial-temporal clusters for a high occurrence of leptospirosis incidence located in cantons of the Coast and Amazon regions.</jats:p>
</jats:sec>
<jats:sec>
<jats:title>Conclusions</jats:title>
<jats:p>The clusters identified could be targeted by policymakers and stakeholders in order to direct surveillance and understand the dynamics of the distribution of leptospirosis in Ecuador.</jats:p>
</jats:sec>