This article presents a novel nonparametric approach to generate synthetic data using copulas, which are functions that explain the dependency structure of the real data. The proposed method addresses several challenges faced by existing synthetic data generation techniques, such as the preservation of complex multivariate structures presented in real data. By using all the information from real data and verifying that the generated synthetic data follows the same behavior as the real data under homogeneity tests, our method is a significant improvement over existing techniques. Our method is easy to implement and interpret, making it a valuable tool for solving class imbalance problems in machine learning models, improving the generalization capabilities of deep learning models, and anonymizing information in finance and healthcare domains, among other applications.

Dengue is a disease of high interest for public health in the affected localities. Dengue virus is transmitted by Aedes species and presents hyperendemic behaviors in tropical and subtropical regions. Colombia is one of the countries most affected by the dengue virus in the Americas. Its central-west region is a hot spot in dengue transmission, especially the Department of Antioquia, which has suffered from multiple dengue outbreaks in recent years (2015–2016 and 2019–2020). In this article, we perform a retrospective analysis of the confirmed dengue cases in Antioquia, discriminating by both subregions and dengue severity from 2015 to 2020. First, we conduct an exploratory analysis of the epidemic data, and then a statistical survival analysis is carried out using a Cox regression model. Our findings allow the identification of the hazard and socio-demographic patterns of dengue infections in the Colombian subtropical region of Antioquia from 2015 to 2020.