Heterogeneity of distribution of tuberculosis in Sheka Zone, Ethiopia: Drivers and temporal trends

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To describe the distribution of tuberculosis (TB) and its drivers in Sheka Zone, a geographically remote region of Ethiopia. METHODS: We collected data on TB patients treated from 2010 to 2014 in the Sheka Zone. Predictors of TB incidence were determined using a multivariate generalised linear regression model. RESULTS: We found significant spatial autocorrelation of TB incidence by kebele (the smallest administrative geographical subdivision in Ethiopia) (Moran's I = 0.3, P < 0.001). The average TB incidence per kebele ranged from 0 to 453 per 100 000 population per year, and was significantly associated with average TB incidence across adjacent kebeles, TB incidence in the same ..