Analysis of the spatial distribution of scientific publications regarding vectorborne diseases related to climate variability in South America

LOPEZ MARÍA SOLEDAD; MULLER GABRIELA; WALTER SIONE

Spatial and Spatio-temporal Epidemiology

ELSEVIER

Año: 2018

1877-5845

Most vector-borne diseases exhibit a distinct seasonal pattern, which clearly suggests that they are weather sensitive. We analyze the distribution and abundance of publications on vector-borne disease associated with climate variability in South America, detect those works that performed a geographic analysis and countries where there were outbreaks and the climatic variables associated. Dengue and leishmaniasis were the most studied and widely represented diseases. The country with the largest number of papers and presence of all disease types was Brazil. Most diseases from the publications under study occurred in equatorial and tropical climates. The disease represented by the largest number of different types of climates was dengue. The technique used allowed us to determine the status of knowledge of the main diseases associated with climate variability in South America. This methodology could be improved in the future by incorporating other bibliographic sources and other diseases related to climatic variability.