title: Spatial distribution of schistosomiasis and geohelminthiasis cases in the rural areas of Pernambuco, Brazil.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The prevalence and intensity of geohelminth infections and schistosomiasis remain high in the rural areas of Zona da Mata, Pernambuco (ZMP), Brazil, where these parasites still represent a significant public health problem. The present study aimed to spatially assess the occurrences of schistosomiasis and geohelminthiasis in the ZMP.
  
  
  METHODS
  The ZMP has a population of 1,132,544 inhabitants, formed by 43 municipalities. An ecological study was conducted, using secondary data relating to positive human cases and parasite loads of schistosomiasis and positive human cases of geohelminthiasis that were worked up in Excel 2007. We used the coordinates of the municipal headquarters to represent the cities which served as the unit of analysis of this study. The Kernel estimator was used to spatially analyze the data and identify distribution patterns and case densities, with analysis done in ArcGIS software.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Spatial analysis from the Kernel intensity estimator made it possible to construct density maps showing that the northern ZMP was the region with the greatest number of children infected with parasites and the populations most intensely infected by Schistosoma mansoni. In relation to geohelminths, there was higher spatial distribution of cases of Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura in the southern ZMP, and greater occurrence of hookworms in the northern/central ZMP.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite several surveys and studies showing occurrences of schistosomiasis and geohelminthiasis in the ZMP, no preventive measures that are known to have been effective in decreasing these health hazards have yet been implemented in the endemic area.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório e Serviço de Referência em Esquistossomose, Centro de Pesquisas Aggeu Magalhães, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Recife, PE.
authors.forename: Verônica Santos
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Barbosa
authors.forename: Karina Conceição
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Araújo
authors.forename: Onicio Batista
authors.initials: OB
authors.lastname: Leal Neto
authors.forename: Constança Simões
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Barbosa
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D006306:Health Surveys; D006373:Helminthiasis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D058069:Neglected Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010270:Parasite Egg Count; D011156:Population Density; D015995:Prevalence; D012423:Rural Health; D012424:Rural Population; D012555:Schistosomiasis mansoni / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000517:prevention & control; D012574:Schools / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric