Spatial autocorrelation and epidemiological survey of visceral leishmaniasis in an endemic area of Azerbaijan region, the northwest of Iran

Epidemiological Profile and Spatial Patterns of Enterobiasis in Children Aged 3-9 Years in China from 2016 to 2020

(1) Background: Enterobius vermicularis infection causes a significant health burden in children. The infection occurs throughout the country and remains a serious public concern in China. Therefore, it is necessary to know the situation of E. vermicularis infection, to provide a scientific basis for the disease control and the optimum conditions for children's growth. (2) Methods: Descriptive epidemiological analysis was implemented to demonstrate the status and changing trend of E. vermicularis infection from 2016 to 2020, while the spatial distribution characteristics and spatial-temporal clustering were illuminated by spatial autocorrelation analysis and spatio-temporal scanning analysis. (3) Results: The infection of E. vermicularis showed a fluctuating downward trend with a decline of 32.00% in 2020 compared to that in 2016 and was concentrated in central and southern China. There was no significant difference in infection rate between boys and girls, while the high infection rate was presented in 4-, 5- and 6- year-old children. The hotspots and spatial clustering areas were mainly concentrated in southern China. (4) Conclusions: From 2016 to 2020, the infection rate of E. vermicularis in children aged 3 to 9 years in China demonstrated a declining trend, and its distribution showed spatial clustering, mainly in southern China. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen surveillance and implement control measures in combination with health education and environmental improvement.

Spatio-temporal analysis and determination of the ecological niche model of Giardia Lamblia (Lambl, 1859) in Ardabil province, northwestern Iran

Intestinal parasites have a serious health problem and frequently infect children in poor urban areas in developing countries. Some types of Cryptosporidium, Entamoeba and Giardia are amongst the most prevalent ones. The aim of this study was explore the distribution pattern of intestinal parasites and the ecological niche of Giardia lamblia in Ardabil Province. This was retrospective cross-sectional study, the officially registered statistics of health centers and hospitals in Ardabil University of Medical Sciences from January 2017 to December 2019 were used. The Kriging interpolation analysis was run to detect the high-risk areas of the disease in the province (P < 0.05) by ArcGIS10.4.1 and to construct the ecological niche model of the G.lamblia parasite, analyzed by Maxent3.3 software. Totally of 238 cases of intestinal parasite were reported during the study period, 77.7% of which were males and 22.3% females. Seven types of intestinal parasites were prevalent with G.lamblia species (79.4%) being the most and Entamoeba histolytica species (4%) the least prevalent one. There was one hotspot in the province in the center with an incidence risk of 41-45.5%. The most important climate and environmental factors affecting the ecological niche of G.lamblia are Bio16, Bio3, and the NDVI. G.lamblia is the most prevalent intestinal parasite in Ardabil Province; moreover, one important hotspots was also detected in the province that can provide useful information regarding the management and control of this parasite.

Spatio-temporal characteristics and control strategies in the early period of COVID-19 spread: a case study of the mainland China

COVID-19 has caused huge impacts on human health and the economic operation of the world. Analyzing and summarizing the early propagation law can help reduce the losses caused by public health emergencies in the future. Early data on the spread of COVID-19 in 30 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) of mainland China except for Hubei, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan were selected in this study. Spatio-temporal analysis, inflection point analysis, and correlation analysis are used to explore the spatio-temporal characteristics in the early COVID-19 spread. The results suggested that (1) the total confirmed cases have risen in an "S"-shaped curve over time, and the daily new cases have first increased and finally decreased; (2) the spatial distributions of both total and daily new cases show a trend of more in the east and less in the west, with a "multi-center agglomeration distribution" around Hubei Province and some major cities; (3) the spatial agglomeration of total confirmed cases has been increasing over time, while that of the daily new cases shows much more obvious in the mid-stage; and (4) timely release of the first-level public health emergency response can accelerate the emergence of the epidemic inflection point. The above analysis results have a specific reference value for the government's policy-making and measures to face public health emergencies.