Relationship between rainfall and temperature: observations on the cases of visceral leishmaniasis in São Luis Island, State of Maranhão, Brazil.
BACKGROUND
Visceral leishmaniasis is a serious public health problem that requires global control strategies, especially with respect to factors that may intervene in reducing the incidence of endemicity. In this work, rainfall density and temperature were correlated with the incidence of human cases in an area endemic for leishmaniasis in São Luis do Maranhão, Northeastern Brazil.


METHODS
Notification of human cases by the National Health Foundation/Regional Coordination of Maranhão (FUNASA/COREMA) from 2002 to 2010 was used. Ecological data (mean temperature and rainfall density) were provided by the Meteorological Office of State.


RESULTS
A significant association was verified between the number of VL cases and rainfall rate but not in the analysis concerning mean temperatures.


CONCLUSIONS
These data suggest that the control actions in visceral leishmaniasis should be performed during rainy season in the State of Maranhão, which is in the first half of the year.
Departamento de Patologia, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luis, MA, Brasil. gracaviana@globo.com
Graça Maria de Castro
GM
Viana
Maria do Desterro Soares Brandão
Mdo D
Nascimento
Érica Milena Fernandes
ÉM
Rabelo
João Arnaud
JA
Diniz Neto
José Roberto
JR
Binda Júnior
Carolina de Souza
Cde S
Galvão
Alessandro Carvalho dos
AC
Santos
Onildo Martins
OM
Santos Júnior
Rodrigo Artur Souza de
RA
Oliveira
Rafael Silva
RS
Guimarães
D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018563:Disease Notification; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D006801:Humans; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011891:Rain; D012307:Risk Factors; D012621:Seasons; D013696:Temperature