Mapping Schistosomiasis mansoni in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, using spatial regression

The main goal of this paper is to develop spatial regression models to estimate the prevalence of schistosomiasis in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, using information on the disease spatial dependence through the network of roads and rivers, in addition to climate, socioeconomic and environmental variables. The results showed that the Schistosoma mansoni hosts mobility is an important factor for modeling and estimating the schistosomiasis prevalence distribution. Variables representing vegetation, temperature, precipitation, topography, sanitation and human development indexes, proved their importance in explaining the disease spreading, indicating favorable conditions for the disease development. The use of spatial regression showed meaningful results to the health management procedures and direction of activities, enabling a better detection of disease risk areas.