Relationship of indicators of social inequality in the spatial distribution of Zika Virus cases
Zika Virus; Violence; Health Status Indicators; Microcephaly; epidemiology
Aim: to analyze the possible relation of social indicators on the spatial distribution of ZIKV cases in a state of Northeast Brazil during 2015-2016 biennium. Methods: an ecological study with data from ZIKV case reports and sociodemographic indicators from Rio Grande do Norte’s state (RN), calculated from Public Health Departament of RN and DATASUS. The data were analyzed in Terraview version 4.2.2, GeoDa version 1.12 and IBM SPSS Statistics 21. Results: Both, the Mean Incidence Rate (MIR) of ZIKV cases in the 2015-2016 biennium (Moran = 0.239, p = 0.02), mean household income (Moran = 0.344, p = 0.01) and unemployment rate (Moran = 0.231, p = 0.01) obeyed a geographical pattern of spatial distribution. In the multiple linear regression analysis, the MIR variables of violence in 2014 and the average household income in 2010 explained 55% of the MIR variation of ZIKV in the 2015-2016 biennium (adjusted R2 = 0.55). Conclusion: Municipalities with more reports of violence and favorable average income, such as the capital, hold higher MIR of ZYKV cases, a phenomenon possibly mediated by more sensitive health services notification.