title: Malaria Risk Areas in Thailand Border.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Malaria is a serious public health problem of the world especially in Africa and Asia where the areas are located in the tropical and subtropical regions. Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease ofhumans caused by parasitic protozoans of the genus Plasmodium.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The present study aims to analyze the risk areas by using Potential Surface Analysis (PSA) with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Thai-Cambodia border including Buriram and Surin provinces.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study divided the factors into six factors including population density, land used (agriculture, houses, water reservoirs, forest), anopheles adult density in villages with reported cases, average annual rainfall, average annual temperature, average annual relative humidity and analyzing risk areas by analysis of PSA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  846 malaria cases were reported between 2008 and 2012, 80.50% and 19.50% from to the Surin and Buriram provinces, respectively. The most cases were found in females, in the 31-40-year age group and agricultural people. The predominant cases were Plasmodium vivax with 45.36%. The high-risk areas of malaria cases was on the 3,014.79 kilometer Thai-Cambodian border consisting offour districts: Nangrong and Nondaeng districts of Buriram province and Sangka and Buached districts of Surin province. The relationship between malaria morbidity with environmental factors found that malaria morbidity rates were associated with land use (forest areas), population density, anopheles adult density of statistical significance and influenced morbidity rates by 12.3% (Adjusted R2 = 0.261), 17.0 (Adjusted R2 = 0.170), and 11.1 (Adjusted R2 = 0.111). The climate factor associated to malaria morbidity with average annual relative humidity by percentage of 5.7 (Adjusted R2 = 0.057).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study showed that malaria is still a problem in Thailand-Cambodia border and the analysis of PSA with GIS can be used to assess the risk of malarial morbidity, and lead to planning, control, and prevention of the morbidity.
authors.forename: Natthawut
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kaewpitoon
authors.forename: Ryan A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Loyd
authors.forename: Soraya J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kaewpitoon
authors.forename: Ratana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rujirakul
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles / Q000502:physiology; D002160:Cambodia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008288:Malaria / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment; D010966:Plasmodium vivax / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D062206:Spatial Analysis; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult