Tuberculosis in intra‐urban settings: a Bayesian approach

Abstract
To model the effect of socio-economic deprivation and a few transmission-related indicators of the tuberculosis (TB) incidence at small area level, to discuss the potential of each indicator in targeting places for developing preventive action. Ecological spatial study of TB incidence in Olinda, a city in the north-east of Brazil, during the period 1996-2000. Three socio-economic indicators (mean number of inhabitants per household; percentage of heads of household with or = 1.8) in each census tract. The possibility to estimate in the same framework both the contribution of covariates at ecological level and the spatial pattern should be encouraged in epidemiology, and may help with establishing Epidemiological Surveillance Systems on a territorial basis, that allows rational planning of interventions and improvement of the Control Programme effectiveness.