[Spatial distribution of leptospirosis in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1996-1999].
Leptospirosis, one of the most widely disseminated zoonoses in the world, is endemic in Brazil and is characterized by outbreaks during seasons with the greatest rainfall. In 1996 the city of Rio de Janeiro experienced one of the largest urban epidemics in the country, shortly after heavy rainstorms in the month of February, with 1,732 reported cases and 51 deaths. The objective of this work was to describe the spatial distribution of leptospirosis in the city of Rio de Janeiro during the period 1996-1999. Data were from the National Information System for Reportable Diseases. The kernel ratio for cases and population generated a smoothed surface, which estimates the intensity of the leptospirosis incidence rate. In the resulting maps over the course of the study period, the sites with the highest leptospirosis intensity were not repeated, and the sites normally considered as having the highest risk -- slum areas and flooded areas -- were not always the most heavily affected. The techniques used can represent an important methodological acquisition for establishing territory-based surveillance.
Tassinari
Wagner de Souza
Wde S
Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. wagnert@ensp.fiocruz.br
Pellegrini
Débora da Cruz Payão
Dda C
Sabroza
Paulo Chagastelles
PC
Carvalho
Marilia Sá
MS
D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002947:Cities / Q000453:epidemiology; D003710:Demography; D019353:Endemic Diseases / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007922:Leptospirosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors