title: Spatial distribution of dengue disease in municipality of Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, using the Geographic Information System.
abstract: The dengue viral infection is one of the most relevant vector-borne diseases in the world. The disease can manifest in a variety of forms, from asymptomatic to a condition of dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF). The last reported cases in Brazil correspond to 80% of the cases reported in the Americas, which emphasizes the magnitude of the problem. This study was conducted using Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques, in order to evaluate the spatial distribution of the disease in the urban area of Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte. In the period between 2001 and 2007, 867 new cases were listed. About 85.7% of the addresses were georeferenced, with a larger number of cases, 14.8%, in the neighborhoods of Santo Antônio and Santa Delmira (north region), and 11.7% in the neighborhoods of Conjunto Vingt-Rosado and Alto de São Manoel (east region). There were 18 confirmed cases of dengue hemorrhagic fever associated with regions with the highest incidence of classic cases of the disease. The use of Geographic Information System (GIS) proved a great benefit for better visualization of the endemic, especially in elucidating the actual distribution of dengue cases in the county and providing an effective tool for planning the monitoring of the disease at a local level.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Universidade do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte, Mossoro, RN, Brazil.
authors.forename: Francisco Narcísio
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: Bessa Júnior
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Universidade do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte, Mossoro, RN, Brazil.
authors.forename: Renan Flávio de França
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Nunes
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Universidade do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte, Mossoro, RN, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcos Antonio
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: de Souza
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Universidade do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte, Mossoro, RN, Brazil.
authors.forename: Antônio Carlos
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: de Medeiros
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Universidade do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte, Mossoro, RN, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Jocileide de Medeiros
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Marinho
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Universidade do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte, Mossoro, RN, Brazil.
authors.forename: Wogelsanger Oliveira
authors.initials: WO
authors.lastname: Pereira
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002947:Cities; D003715:Dengue / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014504:Urban Health; D055815:Young Adult