Abstract

VERDASQUERA CORCHO, Denis; PEREZ SOLER, Kleich; NORALES MEJIA, Anthony Davis  and  VAZQUEZ PEREZ, Armando. Stratification of the risk of becoming ill and dying from human leptospirosis. Rev Cubana Med Trop [online]. 2013, vol.65, n.2, pp.191-201. ISSN 0375-0760.

Introduction: human leptospirosis is the zoonosis carrying the major impacts on the public health in Cuba. During the last 10 years, several outbreaks have been notified in different provinces. Objectives: to stratify morbidity and mortality due to human leptospirosis according to the epidemiological and spatial structure of Havana from 2001 to 2010. Methods: an ecological study of time series using the exponential smoothing for trend, the single indicator for stratification and the territorial structure based on land-use criteria. Results: the year 2002 registered the greatest risk of becoming ill with 4.51/100 000 inhabitants. Between 2001 and 2005, Boyeros and Cotorro municipalities were in the high-risk stratum. During the 2006-2010 period, all municipalities had incidence rates lower than 3/100 000 inhabitants. According to the risk of dying, Regla and San Miguel del Padron were found in highest-risk strata. The fatality rate showed the highest value in 2006, but there has been a decreasing trend since then. Conclusions: leptospirosis incidence showed differences in its geographical distribution by time-strata, with a period of high incidence in three geographically linked municipalities and subsequent periods of low endemicity throughout the province. According to land-use criteria, the population at the highest risk of becoming ill or dying is concentrated in the outskirts of the city.

Keywords : leptospirosis; morbidity; mortality; stratification; territorial structure.

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