Introduction: Leptospirosis, a disease caused by pathogenic spirochetes of the genus Leptospira, is one of the most widespread zoonoses in the world and is considered an important public health problem. This paper aims to describe the spatial pattern of leptospirosis in the City of Aracaju from 2001 to 2007 in an effort to identify areas at risk for leptospirosis.
Methods: We used the ratio of Kernel, which represents the ratio between two surfaces, to visualize the surface of disease risk. The numerator corresponds to the number of cases geocoded to the census tract, and the denominator of the kernel corresponds to the population of these areas. Using this method, the areas with the highest density of cases were delineated and compared visually with socioeconomic factors, such as average income.
Results: The spatial pattern was different in periods of rain compared with periods of drought and did not coincide with the areas considered most at risk for the disease. This study revealed the importance of applying spatial analysis techniques in the field of public health.
Conclusions: These findings indicate that the kernel is a useful tool for obtaining a comprehensive review of the epidemiology of leptospirosis in Aracaju, which supports the kernel's use by the municipal health departments and by the state.