title: Epidemiologic Investigation of Dysentery in North of Iran: Use of Geographic Information System (GIS).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Dysentery is an intestinal inflammation which is created by the microorganisms attacking intestine mucus. Knowing the prevalence of this disease in different societies paves the way for programming and providing treatment and preventive measures. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the epidemiologic pattern and geographical distribution of dysentery based on GIS.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional and analytical study. The dysentery cases were gathered from the section of contagious diseases in health chancellery of Mazandaran University of medical sciences through a checklist during the years 2008 to 2013. In order to analyze the data, we made use of chi-square test. Then, the GIS software was used to recognize the geographical distribution of the disease.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was reported about 653 cases affected by dysentery and the disease proportion was equal for both men and women. Most of the persons with dysentery was city dwellers. The highest rate of incidents was reported to be in Fereidunkenar in 2011, and the disease was mostly found among farmers, students, and college students.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Since dysentery is a disease transmitted from water and food, and in this study, it was found out that the disease sources included using polluted water, vegetables, and lack of appropriate personal hygiene. Therefore, it is essential to take into consideration the health issues. Moreover, the suitable conditions of the geographical area which has the highest rate of incident have paved the way for dysentery occurrence. In addition, using geographic information system (GIS) as a visual instrument can help the stakeholders and officials to elaborate on the death trend and recognize the areas for optimal use of the available resources.
authors.affiliation: Health Sciences Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
authors.forename: Aliasghar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nadi
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Health Sciences Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
authors.forename: Ghassem
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Abedi
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health, Student Research Committee, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
authors.forename: Khatoon
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Isazadeh
authors.affiliation: Health Sciences Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
authors.forename: Farideh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rostami
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Records and Health Information Technology, Faculty of Allied Medical Sciences, Health Sciences Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
authors.forename: Hasan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Siamian
authors.affiliation: GIS Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
authors.forename: Mahbobeh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hosseini
authors.affiliation: Deputy of Health, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
authors.forename: Mehran
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Asadi-Aliabadi
keywords: GIS; Iran; North; dysentery