Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Mekelle University, Mekelle, Ethiopia.
Primary Health Care and Community Engagement Case Team, Tigray Health Bureau, Mekelle, Ethiopia.
BMC Infect Dis. 2024 Oct 13;24(1):1148. doi: 10.1186/s12879-024-10049-0.
Scabies is one of public health concerns among communicable disease in Ethiopia, especially among disadvantaged and the poor. This current study aims to detect the spatiotemporal patterns of scabies in Tigray from 2018 to 2023 using scabies data aggregated at the zonal level. The study also examined the persistent patterns in the spatial variation of scabies incidence across the administrative regions during the study period.
We collected scabies data using a weekly disease surveillance reporting format of the country from 2018 to 2023 across all accessible district health facilities in Tigray region, Ethiopia. We conducted retrospective analyses using both purely spatial and spatiotemporal scan statistic approaches, employing a discrete Poisson probability model to identify statistically significant clusters of high scabies rates throughout the Tigray regional zones in Ethiopia. Our methodology involved the use of Kulldorff's spatial scan statistic software (SaTScan v10.1.3), R programming software version 4.3.1, and ArcGIS Pro for all analyses.
A total of 101,116 cases of scabies were reported from 2018 to 2023. Our study indicated a spatial heterogeneity in the pattern of scabies across Tigray region as well as its localization among geographically contiguous zones across space, except for the Western zone of Tigray where no data was collected. The detected statistically significant spatial clusters [Formula: see text] persisted mainly in the Central, Eastern and Northwestern zones of Tigray over the six years of the study period. The highest relative risk (RR) was recorded in year 2021 ([Formula: see text]. The central zone had the major clusters of scabies at district level from 2018 to 2023. The heterogeneous distribution of scabies across Tigray could be due to the spatial variations in the determinants of scabies (such as socioeconomic status, demographics, and material deprivation) across the region.
An enormous burden of scabies was reported over a period of six years. The present study found localized clusters of high scabies rates at district and zonal levels in Tigray, Ethiopia, possibly due to differences in various determinants of scabies such as access to WASH services. The findings could help the government and health authorities to develop and implement scabies control strategies in Tigray, with a focus on high-risk districts and zones to ensure optimal resource allocation.
疥疮是埃塞俄比亚传染病公共卫生关注的问题之一，尤其是在弱势群体和贫困人口中。本研究旨在利用聚集在区域层面的疥疮数据，检测 2018 年至 2023 年提格雷地区疥疮的时空模式。本研究还检查了研究期间行政区域内疥疮发病率空间变化的持续模式。
我们从 2018 年至 2023 年，使用埃塞俄比亚提格雷地区所有可访问的区卫生设施每周疾病监测报告格式，收集疥疮数据。我们使用纯粹的空间和时空扫描统计方法进行回顾性分析，采用离散泊松概率模型，在整个提格雷地区确定统计学上显著的高疥疮率聚集区。我们的方法包括使用 Kulldorff 的空间扫描统计软件（SaTScan v10.1.3）、R 编程语言版本 4.3.1 和 ArcGIS Pro 进行所有分析。
2018 年至 2023 年共报告了 101116 例疥疮病例。我们的研究表明，提格雷地区的疥疮模式存在空间异质性，以及其在空间上的地理连续区域之间的定位，除了提格雷的西部地区没有收集数据。在研究期间的六年中，检测到的具有统计学意义的空间聚类 [公式：见正文] 主要持续存在于提格雷的中部、东部和西北部地区。2021 年记录到的相对风险（RR）最高[公式：见正文]。中央区在 2018 年至 2023 年期间在区级层面上具有疥疮的主要集群。提格雷地区的疥疮分布不均，可能是由于该地区疥疮决定因素（如社会经济地位、人口统计和物质贫困）的空间差异。
在六年的时间里，报告了大量的疥疮病例。本研究在埃塞俄比亚提格雷地区发现了区和区域层面上的高疥疮率局部聚集，这可能是由于各种疥疮决定因素（如获得 WASH 服务）的差异所致。研究结果可以帮助政府和卫生当局制定和实施提格雷地区的疥疮控制策略，重点关注高风险地区和区域，以确保资源的最佳分配。
