Introducing a Geospatial Based Infectious DiseaseInformation System (IDIS) in Malaysia as an innovative initiative to control the disease is essential due to local environmental risk factor and public health awareness. Malaria is one of the major disease concerns in rural areas, requiring an efficient system to manage the disease. Most of the current disease information systems used by the local health authorities are non-spatial based method, which has not consisted of spatial features and functions. This study adapted the Geographical Information System (GIS) technology to develop an integrated Geospatial-Based Malaria Information System. The proposed system could enhance malaria surveillance programme in Malaysia to achieve zero malaria cases by 2015.

Abstract. Cholera spatial epidemiology is the study of the spread and control of the disease spatial pattern and epidemics. Previous studies have shown that multi-factorial causation such as human behaviour, ecology and other infectious risk factors influence the disease outbreaks. Thus, understanding spatial pattern and possible interrelationship factors of the outbreaks are crucial to be explored an in-depth study. This study focuses on the integration of geographical information system (GIS) and epidemiological techniques in exploratory analyzing the cholera spatial pattern and distribution in the selected district of Sabah. Spatial Statistic and Pattern tools in ArcGIS and Microsoft Excel software were utilized to map and analyze the reported cholera cases and other data used. Meanwhile, cohort study in epidemiological technique was applied to investigate multiple outcomes of the disease exposure. The general spatial pattern of cholera was highly clustered showed the disease spread easily at a place or person to others especially 1500 meters from the infected person and locations. Although the cholera outbreaks in the districts are not critical, it could be endemic at the crowded areas, unhygienic environment, and close to contaminated water. It was also strongly believed that the coastal water of the study areas has possible relationship with the cholera transmission and phytoplankton bloom since the areas recorded higher cases. GIS demonstrates a vital spatial epidemiological technique in determining the distribution pattern and elucidating the hypotheses generating of the disease. The next research would be applying some advanced geo-analysis methods and other disease risk factors for producing a significant a local scale predictive risk model of the disease in Malaysia.

No abstract