title: [Spatial analysis of distribution of schistosomiasis in Anhui Province].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the distribution of schistosomiasis in Anhui Province based on geographic information system (GIS).
  
  
  METHODS
  The survey data of disease and Oncomelania snails in Anhui Province in 2006 were collected, GIS databases were set up, and the inverse distance weighted interpolation method (IDW) based on ArcGIS 9.3 was used to analyze the spatial distribution of schistosomiasis across the province.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The simulated maps of distribution of human prevalence and positive rate of serological tests were imitated by using IDW. The region with heavier infection rates of schistosomiasis was distributed over the region of the Yangtze River in Anhui Province, and the endemic areas were joined into a patch in the upper and middle reaches and distributed in pieces in the lower reaches. While the endemic areas were compared with the distribution of infected snails, the IDW map of positive rate of serological tests was more exactly than that of the human prevalence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The IDW method is helpful to show the distribution of schistosomiasis. The positive rate of serological tests is more sensitive to reflect the current endemic situation of schistosomiasis in Anhui Province.
authors.affiliation: Anhui Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Hefei 230061, China.
authors.forename: Feng-Hua
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Shi-Qing
authors.initials: SQ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Tian-Ping
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Bei-Bei
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Jia-Chang
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Gong-Hua
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000909:Antibodies, Helminth; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D040362:Geographic Information Systems / Q000295:instrumentation; D006801:Humans; D012547:Schistosoma / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012552:Schistosomiasis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology; D018571:Sentinel Surveillance
chemical_list: D000909:Antibodies, Helminth