Epidemiological profile, spatial patterns and priority areas for surveillance and control of leishmaniasis in...

Leishmaniasis represents a major neglected public health problem and the control measures have not been successful in Brazil. Recent studies have shown leishmaniasis importance to Brazilian border zones which reinforces the need to investigate its spread in those regions. This study aimed to analyze epidemiologic profile and its spatial distribution or aggregation process in both tegumentary and visceral leishmaniasis in the Brazilian border strip from 2009 to 2017. This is an ecological study of the epidemiological profile and spatial patterns encompassing municipalities in the Brazilian border strip. The presence of spatial autocorrelation and determination of priority areas for disease control were performed using global (Moran I) and local (LISA) Moran spatial techniques. The annual mean coefficients of tegumentary and visceral leishmaniasis were 29.8 and 0.6 by 100,000 inhabitants in the border strip, respectively. The indigenous population rates of leishmaniasis in the border zone appears to be higher than in the rest of the country (cutaneous changed from 33.2% to 6.6% and visceral rising from 1.0% to 17.5%) in the period. The most affected municipalities were located in the North and Central arches of the border zone. The results can subsidize the development of more targeted and effective strategies that can contribute to the surveillance and control of leishmaniasis in border zones, as the provision of epidemiological and spatial data on the disease. For better control of the disease, we recommend and emphasize the need to integrate public health policies of neighboring countries.