Health impact assessment of the incidence of dengue associated with precipitation in the city of Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo
Abstract Background Dengue is considered a public health problem. The municipality of Ribeirão Preto has climatic and geographical conditions conducive to the proliferation of Aedes aegypti and high rates of dengue incidence are reported. Objective To evaluate the relationship between rainfall and the incidence of confirmed cases of dengue. Method The Spearman Correlation Coefficient was used to analyze the relationship between rainfall and the dengue incidence. Results An association between precipitation and dengue cases was found, with p < 0.01, considering a time lag, which occurs from the first month until the fifth month. Conclusion Studies such as this contribute to the knowledge about the influence of climatic factors on the incidence and transmission dynamics of dengue fever, being essential to guide managers in decision making for disease prevention and control.