GLOBAL MAPPING OF LYMPHATIC FILARIASIS

Disease maps ave becoming increasingly important in infectious disease epidemiology and control. For lymphatic filariasis, the development o f such maps has been hampered in the past by the lack of data on the g eographical distribution of levels of infection or disease. Here, Edwi n Michael and DOM Bundy present an atlas for this parasitic disease de rived from a recently compiled geographical database. Focusing on mapp ing and analysis of case prevalence data at the global and regional Ip a;ls, the authors show how mapping the geographical distribution is in tegral Mot only to assessing spatial patterns in the infection and dis ease distribution but also to stratifying endemic areas by infection a nd/or disease rate.