Incorporating scale dependence in disease burden estimates: the case of human African trypanosomiasis in Uganda.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The WHO has established the disability-adjusted life year (DALY) as a metric for measuring the burden of human disease and injury globally. However, most DALY estimates have been calculated as national totals. We mapped spatial variation in the burden of human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) in Uganda for the years 2000-2009. This represents the first geographically delimited estimation of HAT disease burden at the sub-country scale.

Methodology/principal findings

Disability-adjusted life-year (DALY) totals for HAT were estimated based on modelled age and mortality distributions, mapped using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software, and summarised by parish and district. While the national total burden of HAT is low relative to other conditions, high-impact di

SUBMITTER: Hackett F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3923749 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature