Disease biogeography: spatial and temporal analyses of infectious disease burden at the country-level scale provides new insights and challenges

<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 115%;">In a recent study, Wood et al. (2017 Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. B 372, 20160122) utilized a novel set of spatial and temporal analyses to identify which factors were most strongly correlated with changes in human infectious disease burden...

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Main Author: Matthew J. Heard
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Pensoft Publishers 2018-02-01
Series:Frontiers of Biogeography
Subjects:
Online Access:http://escholarship.org/uc/item/37z303vw
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author Matthew J. Heard
author_facet Matthew J. Heard
author_sort Matthew J. Heard
collection DOAJ
description <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 115%;">In a recent study, Wood et al. (2017 Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. B 372, 20160122) utilized a novel set of spatial and temporal analyses to identify which factors were most strongly correlated with changes in human infectious disease burdens from 1990 to 2010 in 60 countries. Using the statistical analyses and findings of this article as a framework, I have identified three important insights and challenges that this research presents for disease biogeography moving forward. First, the main factor still limiting disease biogeography research progress is underreported or absent data – particularly in the case of neglected tropical diseases. Second, the use of disability-adjusted life years instead of indirect measures of disease burden should be a focal point of disease biogeography research since it allows for comparisons of lethal and non-lethal diseases. Finally, disease biogeography studies that utilize country-level statistical analyses may be better at identifying demographic and economic drivers than environmental or biological drivers.</p>
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spelling doaj-art-e8f650c8860c451187f303db94aba8da2025-08-20T02:13:28ZengPensoft PublishersFrontiers of Biogeography1948-65962018-02-019410.21425/F5FBG36623ark:13030/qt37z303vwDisease biogeography: spatial and temporal analyses of infectious disease burden at the country-level scale provides new insights and challengesMatthew J. Heard0Belmont University<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 115%;">In a recent study, Wood et al. (2017 Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. B 372, 20160122) utilized a novel set of spatial and temporal analyses to identify which factors were most strongly correlated with changes in human infectious disease burdens from 1990 to 2010 in 60 countries. Using the statistical analyses and findings of this article as a framework, I have identified three important insights and challenges that this research presents for disease biogeography moving forward. First, the main factor still limiting disease biogeography research progress is underreported or absent data – particularly in the case of neglected tropical diseases. Second, the use of disability-adjusted life years instead of indirect measures of disease burden should be a focal point of disease biogeography research since it allows for comparisons of lethal and non-lethal diseases. Finally, disease biogeography studies that utilize country-level statistical analyses may be better at identifying demographic and economic drivers than environmental or biological drivers.</p>http://escholarship.org/uc/item/37z303vwdiseasebiogeographypathogen
spellingShingle Matthew J. Heard
Disease biogeography: spatial and temporal analyses of infectious disease burden at the country-level scale provides new insights and challenges
Frontiers of Biogeography
disease
biogeography
pathogen
title Disease biogeography: spatial and temporal analyses of infectious disease burden at the country-level scale provides new insights and challenges
title_full Disease biogeography: spatial and temporal analyses of infectious disease burden at the country-level scale provides new insights and challenges
title_fullStr Disease biogeography: spatial and temporal analyses of infectious disease burden at the country-level scale provides new insights and challenges
title_full_unstemmed Disease biogeography: spatial and temporal analyses of infectious disease burden at the country-level scale provides new insights and challenges
title_short Disease biogeography: spatial and temporal analyses of infectious disease burden at the country-level scale provides new insights and challenges
title_sort disease biogeography spatial and temporal analyses of infectious disease burden at the country level scale provides new insights and challenges
topic disease
biogeography
pathogen
url http://escholarship.org/uc/item/37z303vw
work_keys_str_mv AT matthewjheard diseasebiogeographyspatialandtemporalanalysesofinfectiousdiseaseburdenatthecountrylevelscaleprovidesnewinsightsandchallenges