Spatial-temporal patterns of dengue in areas at risk of dengue hemorrhagic fever in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 2002.
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to examine whether spatial-temporal patterns of dengue can be used to identify areas at risk of dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF).


METHODS
Three indices - probability of case-occurrence, mean duration per wave, and transmission intensity - were used to differentiate eight local spatial-temporal patterns of dengue during the 2002 epidemic in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. DHF densities (DHF cases/km(2) per 100 dengue cases) in each spatial-temporal typed area were compared.


RESULTS
Areas with three high indices correlated with the highest DHF density: (1) high transmission intensity only; (2) long duration of wave only, and (3) high transmission intensity plus long duration of wave. However, cumulative incidences of dengue cases were not correlated with DHF densities.


CONCLUSIONS
Three spatial-temporal indices of dengue could provide useful information to identify areas at high risk of DHF.
Wen
Tzai-Hung
TH
Department of Geography, College of Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Lin
Neal H
NH
Chao
Day-Yu
DY
Hwang
Kao-Pin
KP
Kan
Chih-Chun
CC
Lin
Katherine Chun-Min
KC
Wu
Joseph Tsung-Shu
JT
Huang
Scott Yan-Jang
SY
Fan
I-Chun
IC
King
Chwan-Chuen
CC
D003716:Dengue Virus / Q000254:growth & development*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D019595:Severe Dengue / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology; D013029:Space-Time Clustering; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D014505:Urban Population