Rao, Hua-XiangZhang, XiZhao, LeiYu, JuanRen, WenZhang, Xue-LeiMa, Yong-ChengShi, YanMa, Bin-ZhongWang, XiangWei, ZhenWang, Hua-FangQiu, Li-Xia2017-04-122017-04-122016-06-02Rao, H.-X., Zhang, X., Zhao, L., Yu, J., Ren, W., Zhang, X.-L., … Qiu, L.-X. (2016). Spatial transmission and meteorological determinants of tuberculosis incidence in Qinghai Province, China: a spatial clustering panel analysis. Infectious Diseases of Poverty, 5, 45. http://doi.org/10.1186/s40249-016-0139-42049-9957https://hdl.handle.net/1805/12244BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) is the notifiable infectious disease with the second highest incidence in the Qinghai province, a province with poor primary health care infrastructure. Understanding the spatial distribution of TB and related environmental factors is necessary for developing effective strategies to control and further eliminate TB. METHODS: Our TB incidence data and meteorological data were extracted from the China Information System of Disease Control and Prevention and statistical yearbooks, respectively. We calculated the global and local Moran's I by using spatial autocorrelation analysis to detect the spatial clustering of TB incidence each year. A spatial panel data model was applied to examine the associations of meteorological factors with TB incidence after adjustment of spatial individual effects and spatial autocorrelation. RESULTS: The Local Moran's I method detected 11 counties with a significantly high-high spatial clustering (average annual incidence: 294/100 000) and 17 counties with a significantly low-low spatial clustering (average annual incidence: 68/100 000) of TB annual incidence within the examined five-year period; the global Moran's I values ranged from 0.40 to 0.58 (all P-values < 0.05). The TB incidence was positively associated with the temperature, precipitation, and wind speed (all P-values < 0.05), which were confirmed by the spatial panel data model. Each 10 °C, 2 cm, and 1 m/s increase in temperature, precipitation, and wind speed associated with 9 % and 3 % decrements and a 7 % increment in the TB incidence, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: High TB incidence areas were mainly concentrated in south-western Qinghai, while low TB incidence areas clustered in eastern and north-western Qinghai. Areas with low temperature and precipitation and with strong wind speeds tended to have higher TB incidences.en-USAttribution 4.0 InternationalClimateTuberculosisepidemiologyMeteorological factorsSpatial clusteringSpatial panel data modelTuberculosis incidenceArticle