Supplementary Files
Keywords
spatial analysis
vector-borne diseases
zoonotic diseases
sandflies
lagomorphs
How to Cite
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is an endemic zoonotic disease in Spain. The purpose of this study is to conduct a spatial analysis of the key elements of this disease’s cycle–vectors, reservoirs and human cases–during a community outbreak in four towns in the southern corner of Madrid’s metropolitan area: Fuenlabrada, Getafe, Humanes de Madrid and Leganés.
A total of 485 cases of leishmaniasis, registered in the Community of Madrid’s Epidemiological Surveillance System were analyzed; symptoms were reported between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2013.
Most cases were reported in northern Fuenlabrada. The results of spatial analysis revealed that, during the study period, the areas with the highest concentration of cases were peripheral residential areas bordering green zones with high densities of sandflies and a relatively high prevalence of leishmaniasis in lagomorphs. This shows that the main exposure occurred at home or close to home.
This study shows that road and railway infrastructures could have played a decisive role in the spatial pattern of the outbreak by acting as territorial barriers somewhat isolating several urban centers from exposure to the pathogen, as routes of entry for the vector into other urban centers, or as generators of an environment (slopes on roadside) of suitable habitats for reservoirs and vectors.
The spatial analysis of the outbreak has guided the actions for preventing and controlling the outbreak in these towns and is still useful to study its evolution. GISs are tools that help to understand the genesis and evolution of infectious disease outbreaks and to design the appropriate environmental interventions.
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