Spatiotemporal trends of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Costa Rica.

BACKGROUND: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) remains an important neglected tropical disease in Costa Rica, which has one of the largest burdens of this disease in Latin America. METHODS: We identified district-level hotspots of CL from 2006 to 2017 and conducted temporal analysis to identify where hotspots were increasing across the country. RESULTS: Clear patterns of CL risk were detected, with persistent hotspots located in the Caribbean region, where risk was also found to be increasing over time in some areas. CONCLUSIONS: We identify spatiotemporal hotspots, which may be used in support of the leishmaniasis plan of action for the Americas.