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Published on: May 31, 2020
Mapping Zika virus disease incidence in Valle del Cauca
Alfonso J Rodriguez-Morales1,2,3, Maria Leonor Galindo-Marquez4, Carlos Julian García-Loaiza4
1Public Health and Infection Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Tecnologica de Pereira, Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia. arodriguezm@utp.edu.co.
Objective:
Geographical information systems (GIS) use for development of epidemiological maps in tropical diseases is increasingly frequently utilized. Here, we apply this technique to map the current Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak in Colombia.
Methods:
Surveillance cases data of the ongoing epidemic of ZIKV in Valle del Cauca department and its capital, Cali (2015-2016), were used to estimate cumulated incidence rates (cases/100,000 population) to develop the first maps in the department and it municipalities. The GIS software used was Kosmo Desktop 3.0RC1®. Three thematic incidence rate maps were developed.
Results:
Up to April 2, 2016, 9,825 cases of ZIKV were reported (15.15 % of the country cases). The burden of ZIKV infection has been concentrated in the North of the department. Valle del Cauca borders with other departments with incidence of ZIKV infection, such as Quindío (173 cases) and Risaralda (687 cases). Eleven municipalities of Valle del Cauca had cases in the range between 250 and 499 cases/100,000, all in the North and East of the department. Cali, the capital concentrates more than a third of the reported cases of ZIKV in Valle del Cauca.
Conclusions:
Use of GIS-based epidemiological maps allows to guide decision-making for prevention and control of diseases that constitute significant public health problems in the region and the country, such as exemplified by the emergence of ZIKV infection, particularly in departments such as Valle del Cauca with a high disease incidence.
