Characterization of Colombian departments based on climatic factors, infrastructure, basic service access, and dengue incidence rate.

Abstract

Introduction: Dengue is an endemic disease in Colombia, with spatial variations influenced by climatic, socioeconomic, and basic service access factors. Territorial characterization based on these determinants supports a better understanding of disease distribution and enables the design of more effective control strategies.

Objectives: To identify groups of departments in Colombia based on the relationship between dengue incidence rates and climatic, socioeconomic, and basic service access factors in 2023.

Materials and methods: Data were collected from the Instituto Nacional de Salud of Colombia, the Encuesta Nacional de Calidad de Vida, and satellite sources, such as ERA5 and CHIRPS. Variables related to access to basic services (drinking water, sewage, and waste collection), housing deficit, temperature, precipitation, and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) were analyzed. A multiple factor analysis was applied to reduce dimensionality, followed by hierarchical clustering and self-organizing maps to identify department groupings.

Results: Three groups of departments with distinct characteristics were identified. The most vulnerable group (group 3) showed an average incidence rate of 1,046.87 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, associated with extreme housing deficits, limited access to basic services, and climatic conditions favorable for vector proliferation.

Conclusions: The analysis identified key territorial patterns in dengue incidence and highlighted the influence of structural factors on disease transmission. These findings provide a foundation to strengthen public policies and design more targeted prevention and control strategies in the most vulnerable regions.