Abstract INTRODUCTION:

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is an important parasitic disease. We evaluated the epidemiological aspects and spatial distribution of visceral leishmaniasis in Governador Valadares, Brazil.

METHODS:

All cases of VL, registered by the municipal health department, were analyzed and georeferenced.

RESULTS:

The human mortality rate was 15% and canine seroprevalence rate was 29.0%. Higher numbers of canine VL cases correlated with higher incidence of human cases.

CONCLUSIONS:

The high rate of canine seroprevalence, resurgence of the human disease, and correlation between canine and human VL reinforces the role of the dog in disease transmission within the municipality.