<i>Aedes aegypti</i> in Southern Brazil: Spatiotemporal Distribution Dynamics and Association with Climate and Environmental Factors

In Brazil, the mosquito <i>Aedes</i> (<i>Stegomyia</i>) <i>aegypti</i> is considered the main vector of the dengue, chikungunya, and Zika arbovirus transmission. Recent epidemiological studies in southern Brazil have shown an increase in the incidence of dengue, r...

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Main Authors: Joice Guilherme de Oliveira, Sérgio Antônio Netto, Edenilson Osinski Francisco, Caroline Pereira Vieira, Paula Fassicolo Variza, Betine Pinto Moehlecke Iser, Tamara Nunes Lima-Camara, Camila Lorenz, Josiane Somariva Prophiro
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-01-01
Series:Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/8/2/77
Description
Summary:In Brazil, the mosquito <i>Aedes</i> (<i>Stegomyia</i>) <i>aegypti</i> is considered the main vector of the dengue, chikungunya, and Zika arbovirus transmission. Recent epidemiological studies in southern Brazil have shown an increase in the incidence of dengue, raising concerns over epidemiological control, monitoring, and surveys. Therefore, this study aimed at performing a historical spatiotemporal analysis of the <i>Ae. aegypti</i> house indices (HI) in southern Brazil over the last 19 years. As vector infestation was associated with climatic and environmental variables, HI data from the Brazilian Ministry of Health, climate data from the Giovanni web-based application, and environmental data from the Mapbiomas project were used in this study. Our results showed an expressive increase in the number of HI surveys in the municipalities confirming the vector presence, as compared to those in 2017. Environmental variables, such as urban infrastructure, precipitation, temperature, and humidity, were positively correlated with the <i>Ae. aegypti</i> HI. This was the first study to analyze <i>Ae. aegypti</i> HI surveys in municipalities of southern Brazil, and our findings could help in developing and planning disease control strategies to improve public health.
ISSN:2414-6366