Epidemiological characteristics and spatiotemporal analysis of mumps at township level in Wuhan, China, 2005–2019

Abstract

The resurgence and outbreaks of mumps occurs frequently in many countries worldwide in recent years, even in countries with high vaccination coverage. In this study, a descriptive and spatiotemporal clustering analysis at the township level were conducted to explore the dynamic spatiotemporal aggregation and epidemiological characteristics of mumps in Wuhan. During 2005 and 2019, there were 40685 cases reported in Wuhan, with an average annual morbidity of 28.11 per 100000 populations. The morbidity showed a fluctuating tendency, and peaked in 2010 and 2018. Bimodal seasonality was found, with a large peak between May and July, and a mild peak from November to January in the following year. Male students aged 5-9 years old were the main risk group of mumps infection. Significant global spatial auto-correlation was detected except in 2007, 2009, and 2015.The spatial and temporal scan statistics indicated that the hot spots mainly located at the western and southern areas of Wuhan with variations almost every year. Our findings could assist the public health authorities to develop and improve targeted health strategies, and allocate health resources rationally.