Space-time analysis of the dengue spreading dynamics in the 2004 Tartagal outbreak, Northern Argentina.

Camilo Rotela (1) , Florence Fouque (2) , Mario Lamfri (1) , Phillipe Sabatier (3) , Virginia Introini (4) , Mario Zaidenberg (4) , Carlos Scavuzzo (1)

1 CONAE - Mario Gulich Institute
2 CIBU - Cellule d'Intervention Biologique d'Urgence - Laboratory for Urgent Response to Biological Threats
3 EPSP - Environnement et Prévision de la Santé des Populations
4 National Coordination of Vector Control

The spreading dynamic of the 2004 dengue fever outbreak that occurred in Tartagal, Northwestern Argentina, was investigated. A total of 487 suspected dengue cases were recorded and geo-referenced. Maps of daily cases were generated for the 109 days of the outbreak. The epidemic affected the majority of the city within 11 days. The age-distribution of the cases was different from the population age-distribution. The spatio-temporal clustering of the cases was analyzed using Knox test concept. Results of the space and time geo-referencing of the cases showed outbreak spotlights and spreading patterns that could be related to entomologic and epidemiologic factors. An environmental risk prediction model was developed based on a synthetic multi-band image created from LandSat 5 TM satellite image. The potential and limitations of remote sensing data and spatial statistics as landscape epidemiology tools for a dengue surveillance strategy and prevention are discussed.

Domains: Life Sciences [q-bio]; Microbiology and Parasitology; Parasitology

Camilo Rotela, Florence Fouque, Mario Lamfri, Phillipe Sabatier, Virginia Introini, et al.. Space-time analysis of the dengue spreading dynamics in the 2004 Tartagal outbreak, Northern Argentina.. Acta Tropica, 2007, 103 (1), pp.1-13. ⟨10.1016/j.actatropica.2007.05.003⟩. ⟨pasteur-00188877⟩