Impact of the El Nino/Southern Oscillation on visceral leishmaniasis, Brazil

We used time-series analysis and linear regression to investigate the relationship between the annual Nino-3 index from 1980 to 1998 and the annual incidence of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in the State of Bahia, Brazil, during 1985-1999. An increase in VL incidence was observed in the post-El Nino years 1989 (+38.7%) and 1995 (+33.5%). The regression model demonstrates that the previous year's mean Nino-3 index and the temporal trend account for approximately 50% of the variance in the annual incidence of VL in Bahia. The model shows a robust agreement with the real data, as only the influence of El Nino on the cycle of VL was analyzed. The results suggest that this relationship could be used to predict high-risk years for VL and thus help reduce health impact in susceptible regions in Brazil.