Spatiotemporal epidemiology in the identification of critical areas: an application to tuberculosis

Abstract

The increasing relevance of spatiotemporal epidemiology, enhanced by a greater availability of geographical information and the growing importance of knowing where, when and how the health phenomena occurred in a spatiotemporal context, promotes more scientifically robust and effective early intervention. The identification of critical areas, either in terms of their higher incidence of a disease, or their intensity of determinants, is crucial to assess them for priorities setting.