Kapwata Thandi, Breetzke Gregory, Wright Caradee Y, Marcus Tessa S
Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, 2193, South Africa.
Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa.
BMC Res Notes. 2024 Dec 19;17(1):364. doi: 10.1186/s13104-024-07015-z.
Prior research has shown strong evidence of spatial clustering of tuberculosis across a range of contexts. Identifying the spatial patterning of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis is crucial as it allows for targeted intervention strategies, directing healthcare resources efficiently to areas where tuberculosis incidence is concentrated. This is especially true for low- and middle-income countries that typically experience greater resource constraints relative to their Global North counterparts. In this study, we extend existing literature by investigating the spatial patterning of tuberculosis among vulnerable communities in South Africa, notably in the relatively under-researched provinces of the North-West and Gauteng.
Data for this study were collected from several locations implementing community-oriented primary care in the country. Community health workers used AitaHealth™, a custom-built mobile information management application, to obtain data on tuberculosis status and environmental conditions of households. We find notable clusters of tuberculosis in these provinces which we speculate could be associated with urban formal and informal settlement densification and overcrowding, the incidence of mining activities prevalent in sampled locations and poor access to healthcare.
先前的研究已有力证明，在一系列情况下，结核病存在空间聚集现象。识别结核病等传染病的空间模式至关重要，因为这有助于制定有针对性的干预策略，将医疗资源有效地导向结核病发病率集中的地区。对于相对于全球北方国家而言通常面临更大资源限制的低收入和中等收入国家来说尤其如此。在本研究中，我们通过调查南非弱势群体中的结核病空间模式来扩展现有文献，特别是在研究相对较少的西北省和豪登省。
本研究的数据来自该国几个实施以社区为导向的初级保健的地点。社区卫生工作者使用定制的移动信息管理应用程序AitaHealth™获取有关家庭结核病状况和环境条件的数据。我们在这些省份发现了明显的结核病聚集区，我们推测这可能与城市正规和非正规住区的密度增加和过度拥挤、采样地点普遍存在的采矿活动发生率以及获得医疗保健的机会不足有关。
