ARCA: the interactive database for arbovirus reported cases in the Americas

Abstract

Background: Accurate case report data are essential to understand arbovirus dynamics, including spread and evolution of arboviruses such as Zika, dengue and chikungunya viruses. Giving the multi-country nature of arbovirus epidemics in the Americas, these data are not often accessible or are reported at different time scales (weekly, monthly) from different sources. Results: We developed a publicly available and user-friendly database for arboviral case data in the Americas: ARCA. ARCA is a relational database that is hosted on the ARCA website. Users can interact with the database through the website by submitting queries through the website, which generates displays results and allows users to download these results in different, convenient file formats. Users can choose to view arboviral case data through a table which containscontaining the number of cases for a particular week, a plot, or through a map. Conclusion: Our ARCA database is a useful tool for arboviral epidemiology research allowing for complex queries, data visualization, integration, and formatting.