title: Spatio-temporal distribution of malaria in Yunnan Province, China.
abstract: The spatio-temporal distribution pattern of malaria in Yunnan Province, China was studied using a geographic information system technique. Both descriptive and temporal scan statistics revealed seasonal fluctuation in malaria incidences in Yunnan Province with only one peak during 1995-2000, and two apparent peaks from 2001 to 2005. Spatial autocorrelation analysis indicated that malaria incidence was not randomly distributed in the province. Further analysis using spatial scan statistics discovered that the high risk areas were mainly clustered at the bordering areas with Myanmar and Laos, and in Yuanjiang River Basin. There were obvious associations between Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodoium falciparum malaria incidences and climatic factors with a clear 1-month lagged effect, especially in cluster areas. All these could provide information on where and when malaria prevention and control measures would be applied. These findings imply that countermeasures should target high risk areas at suitable times, when climatic factors facilitate the transmission of malaria.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing Science, Jointly Sponsored by the Institute of Remote Sensing Applications of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Feng-Ming
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Hui
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Zhang-Wei
authors.initials: ZW
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Xiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Hua-Bing
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Li-Qun
authors.initials: LQ
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Hong-Ning
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Heng-Lin
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Xiao-Nong
authors.initials: XN
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Wu-Chun
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gong
mesh_terms: D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D002980:Climate; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016780:Malaria, Vivax / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013997:Time Factors