GIS FOR DENGUE EPIDEMIC MANAGEMENT FOR IPOH/BATU GAJAH/TBD

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has proven to be one of the most
useful tools in public health research. It has been widely used in disease surveillance
and monitoring, research hypotheses generation, identification of high-risk area and
population at-risk, targeting resources and the monitoring of interventions. GIS
provides an effective tool for visualization and spatial analysis of epidemiology data
and enviromnental exposure. Recent studies have shown the increasing use of GIS as
an important component in public health and epidemiology. This research will utilize
the spatial analytical tools in GIS to establish the relationship between dengue fever
cases, road/railway and drainage system distribution, and usage of septic tank factors
that contribute to dengue fever transmission. This undertaking of building a GISbased
dengue fever investigation and surveillance system will aid in better health
mapping and analysis compared to conventional methods. It will provide the
epidemiologist with an effective tool to identify the environmental factors and
mosquito breeding sites at risk related to the dengue outbreak. With detailed mapping
and modeling of localized outbreaks, prevention and control activities can be
implemented for instance. The successful implementation of GIS technology in
disease investigation and surveillance will help to increase the awareness of GIS
technology in the public health sector.