Tropical diseases are re-emerging in many countries including those in the Americas. American Trypanosomiasis or Chagas´ disease is still an important public health problem in South America. In some countries such as Venezuela, the incidence, the vector's (Triatoma spp) infection rates, and the vector's household infestation is decreasing. However, the vector's infestation rate by geographic location has been increasing in the last two decades. The purposes of the present correlational or ecologic study were (1) to study the time-trends of the control program indexes to determine its level of success over time, and (2) to assess the correlation of vector's infestation indexes and household spraying to learn the impact of such a control measure on each index. Time series analysis techniques were used and the data was processed with and without natural logarithmic transformation. A strong correlation was found between the measure of control and the program's indexes. The trends indicate that there is an overall 30-year decrease trend in all of them. The results of this study help to better understand the epidemiology of Chagas' disease under the control program in Venezuela, and are also useful to provide alternative tools for evaluating control programs for Chagas'disease.
Learning Objectives: 1. Describe the epidemiologic secular trends of Chagas' disease in Venezuela. 2. Identify the procedures to analyze surveillance data over time
Keywords: Epidemiology, Surveillance
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.