Application of spatio-temporal scan statistics for the detection of areas with increased risk for American visceral leishmaniasis in the state of Bahia, Brazil.

Mirroring the global increase of registered cases of American visceral leishmaniasis (AVL), this infection has become a growing public health problem in Brazil during the last several years. As the traditional approach to control employed by the governmental health agencies has failed to reduce the incidence and epidemic outbreaks of this illness, we propose a re-evaluation of the national strategy of intervention and monitoring. Our thinking is based on a series of spatio-temporal scan statistics of the west-central region of the state of Bahia covering the 11-year period from 1994 to 2004.