title: Spatial pattern of 2009 dengue distribution in Kuala Lumpur using GIS application.
abstract: In the last few years in Malaysia, dengue fever has increased dramatically and has   caused huge public health concerns. The present study aimed to establish a spatial distribution   of dengue cases in the city of Kuala Lumpur using a combination of Geographic Information   System (GIS) and spatial statistical tools. Collation of data from 1,618 dengue cases in 2009   was obtained from Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL). These data were processed and then   converted into GIS format. Information on the average monthly rainfall was also used to   correlate with the distribution pattern of dengue cases. To asses the spatial distribution of   dengue cases, Average Nearest Neighbor (ANN) Analysis was applied together with spatial   analysis with the ESRI ArcGIS V9.3 programme. Results indicated that the distribution of   dengue cases in Kuala Lumpur for the year 2009 was spatially clustered with R value less   than 1 (R = 0.42; z-scores = - 4.47; p < 0.001). Nevertheless, when this pattern was further   analyzed according to month by each zone within Kuala Lumpur, two distinct patterns were   observed which include a clustered pattern (R value < 1) between April to June and a   dispersed pattern (R value > 1) between August and November. In addition, the mean monthly   rainfall has not influenced the distribution pattern of the dengue cases. Implementation of   control measures is more difficult for dispersed pattern compared to clustered pattern. From   this study, it was found that distribution pattern of dengue cases in Kuala Lumpur in 2009 was   spatially distributed (dispersed or clustered) rather than cases occurring randomly. It was   proven that by using GIS and spatial statistic tools, we can determine the spatial distribution   between dengue and population. Utilization of GIS tools is vital in assisting health agencies,   epidemiologist, public health officer, town planner and relevant authorities in developing   efficient control measures and contingency programmes to effectively combat dengue fever.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. azizs@um.edu.my
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aziz
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ngui
authors.forename: Y A L
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sholehah
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nur Farhana
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Azizan
authors.forename: W S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Wan Yusoff
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003715:Dengue / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008296:Malaysia / Q000453:epidemiology; D012621:Seasons; D019371:Topography, Medical