Spatial analysis of dengue, cysticercosis and Chagas disease mortality in Ecuador, 2011-2016.

BACKGROUND

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) continue to be an important cause of disability and mortality in the poorest tropical and subtropical areas.

METHODS

This is an ecological study. We included all death certificates with dengue, cysticercosis and Chagas disease in Ecuador from 2011 to 2016. The spatial autocorrelation was evaluated by GeoDa software through the Global Moran's I index and the formation of clusters by the local index of spatial association.

RESULTS

The Global Moran's I index for the study period shows a positive spatial autocorrelation for dengue, cysticercosis and Chagas disease (0.25, p=0.001; 0.07, p=0.04; 0.45, p=0.001, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

The clusters identified as higher risk in the country could be targeted by policymakers to adequately develop strategies to strengthen health promotion policies that break the cycle of these diseases.