A descriptive spatial analysis of bovine tuberculosis disease risk in 2015 in Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea

In this study, we used a choropleth map to explore the spatial variation of the risk of cattle herds being bovine tuberculosis (BTB) positive in Gangwon-do in 2015. The map shows that the risk of being BTB-positive was lower in provinces located in the middle of Gangwon-do (Wonju, Youngwol, Peongchang, and Kangneung) than in other provinces. In addition, one province located in the north (Goseong) had a low risk of BTB. The estimate for the intercept of the spatial lag model was 0.66, and the spatial autocorrelation coefficient (lambda) was 0.20 (Table 1). The Moran’s I was 0.33 with p-value of 0.02. In 2015, provinces located in the North West (Hwacheon) and East (Donghae) of Gangwon-do had a higher BTB risk. We identified some specific provinces at low BTB-positive risk, information that may prove useful for control of BTB in the study area