Spatial Analysis of Schistosomiasis in Hunan and Jiangxi Provinces in the People’s Republic of China
Kefyalew Addis Alene,
Catherine A. Gordon,
Archie C. A. Clements,
Gail M. Williams,
Darren J. Gray,
Xiao-Nong Zhou,
Yuesheng Li,
Jürg Utzinger,
Johanna Kurscheid,
Simon Forsyth,
Jie Zhou,
Zhaojun Li,
Guangpin Li,
Dandan Lin,
Zhihong Lou,
Shengming Li,
Jun Ge,
Jing Xu,
Xinling Yu,
Fei Hu,
Shuying Xie,
Donald P. McManus
Affiliations
Kefyalew Addis Alene
Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Perth 6102, Australia
Catherine A. Gordon
Infection and Inflammation Program, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane 4006, Australia
Archie C. A. Clements
Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Perth 6102, Australia
Gail M. Williams
School of Population Health, University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
Darren J. Gray
Department of Global Health, Australian National University, Canberra 0200, Australia
Xiao-Nong Zhou
National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, NHC Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology, WHO Collaborating Centre for Tropical Diseases, National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, Shanghai 200025, China
Yuesheng Li
Infection and Inflammation Program, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane 4006, Australia
Jürg Utzinger
Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, CH-4051 Allschwil, Switzerland
Johanna Kurscheid
School of Population Health, University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
Simon Forsyth
School of Population Health, University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
Jie Zhou
Hunan Institute of Schistosomiasis Control, Yueyang 414000, China
Zhaojun Li
Jiangxi Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Nanchang 330096, China
Guangpin Li
Hunan Institute of Schistosomiasis Control, Yueyang 414000, China
Dandan Lin
Jiangxi Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Nanchang 330096, China
Zhihong Lou
Hunan Institute of Schistosomiasis Control, Yueyang 414000, China
Shengming Li
Hunan Institute of Schistosomiasis Control, Yueyang 414000, China
Jun Ge
Jiangxi Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Nanchang 330096, China
Jing Xu
National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, NHC Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology, WHO Collaborating Centre for Tropical Diseases, National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, Shanghai 200025, China
Xinling Yu
Hunan Institute of Schistosomiasis Control, Yueyang 414000, China
Fei Hu
Jiangxi Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Nanchang 330096, China
Shuying Xie
Jiangxi Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Nanchang 330096, China
Donald P. McManus
Infection and Inflammation Program, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane 4006, Australia
Understanding the spatial distribution of schistosome infection is critical for tailoring preventive measures to control and eliminate schistosomiasis. This study used spatial analysis to determine risk factors that may impact Schistosoma japonicum infection and predict risk in Hunan and Jiangxi Provinces in the People’s Republic of China. The study employed survey data collected in Hunan and Jiangxi in 2016. Independent variable data were obtained from publicly available sources. Bayesian-based geostatistics was used to build models with covariate fixed effects and spatial random effects to identify factors associated with the spatial distribution of infection. Prevalence of schistosomiasis was higher in Hunan (12.8%) than Jiangxi (2.6%). Spatial distribution of schistosomiasis varied at pixel level (0.1 × 0.1 km), and was significantly associated with distance to nearest waterbody (km, β = −1.158; 95% credible interval [CrI]: −2.104, −0.116) in Hunan and temperature (°C, β = −4.359; 95% CrI: −9.641, −0.055) in Jiangxi. The spatial distribution of schistosomiasis in Hunan and Jiangxi varied substantially and was significantly associated with distance to nearest waterbody. Prevalence of schistosomiasis decreased with increasing distance to nearest waterbody in Hunan, indicating that schistosomiasis control should target individuals in close proximity to open water sources as they are at highest risk of infection.
