Published online Nov 14, 2023. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v29.i42.5716
Peer-review started: August 5, 2023
First decision: September 18, 2023
Revised: September 28, 2023
Accepted: October 23, 2023
Article in press: October 23, 2023
Published online: November 14, 2023
Processing time: 97 Days and 21.1 Hours
Hepatitis B (HB) and hepatitis C (HC) have the largest burden in China, and a goal of eliminating them as a major public health threat by 2030 has been raised.
Accurate prediction helps to anticipate possible scenarios and make proactive choices, enabling policymakers to make informed decisions, plan strategies, and prepare for potential challenges and opportunities.
This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of seasonal autoregressive fractionally integrated moving average (SARFIMA) in monitoring HB and HC epidemics (projection into 2030) in mainland China and to assess the forecasting potential of SARFIMA compared to seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA).
The monthly incidence cases of HB and HC from January 2004 to June 2023 were obtained. Then, the two periods (from January 2004 to June 2022 and from January 2004 to December 2015, respectively) were used as the training sets to build the SARFIMA and SARIMA models, while the remaining periods served as the test sets to evaluate the forecasting accuracy of both models.
During the study period, a total of 23400874 HB cases and 3590867 HC cases were reported. In the 12-step-ahead HB, 90-step-ahead HB, 12-step-ahead HC, and 90-step-ahead HC forecasts, the best SARFIMA generated lower error rates compared with the best SARIMA. The predicted HB incidents totaled 9865400 [95% confidence interval (95%CI): 7508093-12222709] and HC totaled 1659485 (95%CI: 856681-2462290) during 2023-2030.
The SARFIMA provides a more sophisticated and adaptable framework for capturing intricate patterns and interdependencies in monitoring HB and HC epidemics compared with the SARIMA. This ultimately leads to enhanced forecasting capabilities and a deeper comprehension of the underlying process.
The integration of SARFIMA into public health decision-making for managing HB and HC epidemics can result in more informed and efficacious interventions.