PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases (Dec 2023)

Epidemiological characteristics and spatio-temporal aggregation of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome in Jinan City, China, 2018-2022.

  • Shang Gao,
  • Xingyi Geng,
  • Qingbin Lu,
  • Shanzheng Wu,
  • Zhaoxia Shan,
  • Caiyun Chang

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0011807
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 17, no. 12
p. e0011807

Abstract

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BackgroundSevere fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) has become a significant public health issue in Jinan City. However, the analysis of epidemiological characteristics and spatio-temporal clustering of SFTS in Jinan has not been studied yet.MethodsSFTS data from 2018-2022 in Jinan City were obtained from the China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention. Global spatial autocorrelation and local spatial autocorrelation analyses were performed using ArcGIS 10.2 software, and spatiotemporal hotspot area detection was carried out using SatScan 9.6 software.ResultsBetween 2018 and 2022, 680 SFTS cases were reported in Jinan City, resulting in 53 deaths and an average case fatality rate of 7.8%. 99.0% of cases occurred between April and October, 91.9% individuals were over 50 years old, and 87.79% were primarily farmers. A positive spatial correlation of SFTS in Jinan was observed (Moran's I value between 0.135-0.197, PConclusionSpatial and temporal aggregation of SFTS is evident in Jinan. Based on the spatial and temporal distribution and epidemiological characteristics, prevention and control measures such as public education, monitoring, and training should target key populations in high-incidence epidemic areas.