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The Neighborhood Contagion Focus as a Spatial Unit for Diagnosis and Epidemiological Action against COVID-19 Contagion in Urban Spaces: A Methodological Proposal for Its Detection and Delimitation

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  • María-Jesús Perles

    (Department of Geography, Area of Physical Geography, University of Malaga, 29010 Málaga, Spain
    Physical Geography and Territory Research Group of the University of Málaga, 29010 Málaga, Spain)

  • Juan F. Sortino

    (Physical Geography and Territory Research Group of the University of Málaga, 29010 Málaga, Spain
    Department of Geography, Regional Geographic Analysis Area, University of Málaga, 29010 Malaga, Spain)

  • Matías F. Mérida

    (Department of Geography, Regional Geographic Analysis Area, University of Málaga, 29010 Malaga, Spain
    Geographical Analysis Research Group of the Department of Geography of the University of Málaga, 29010 Malaga, Spain)

Abstract

The concept of neighborhood contagion focus is defined and justified as a basic spatial unit for epidemiological diagnosis and action, and a specific methodological procedure is provided to detect and map focuses and micro-focuses of contagion without using regular or artificial spatial units. The starting hypothesis is that the contagion in urban spaces manifests unevenly in the form of clusters of cases that are generated and developed by neighborhood contagion. Methodologically, the spatial distribution of those infected in the study area, the city of Málaga (Spain), is firstly analyzed from the disaggregated and anonymous address information. After defining the concept of neighborhood contagion focus and justifying its morphological parameters, a method to detect and map neighborhood contagion focus in urban settings is proposed and applied to the study case. As the main results, the existence of focuses and micro-focuses in the spatial pattern of contagion is verified. Focuses are considered as an ideal spatial analysis unit, and the advantages and potentialities of the use of mapping focus as a useful tool for health and territorial management in different phases of the epidemic are shown.

Suggested Citation

  • María-Jesús Perles & Juan F. Sortino & Matías F. Mérida, 2021. "The Neighborhood Contagion Focus as a Spatial Unit for Diagnosis and Epidemiological Action against COVID-19 Contagion in Urban Spaces: A Methodological Proposal for Its Detection and Delimitation," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-24, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:6:p:3145-:d:519760
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Dietrich Stoyan, 2006. "On Estimators of the Nearest Neighbour Distance Distribution Function for Stationary Point Processes," Metrika: International Journal for Theoretical and Applied Statistics, Springer, vol. 64(2), pages 139-150, October.
    2. Arthur Getis & J. Keith Ord, 2010. "The Analysis of Spatial Association by Use of Distance Statistics," Advances in Spatial Science, in: Luc Anselin & Sergio J. Rey (ed.), Perspectives on Spatial Data Analysis, chapter 0, pages 127-145, Springer.
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    Cited by:

    1. Federico Benjamín Galacho-Jiménez & David Carruana-Herrera & Julián Molina & José Damián Ruiz-Sinoga, 2022. "Evidence of the Relationship between Social Vulnerability and the Spread of COVID-19 in Urban Spaces," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-22, April.

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