Geographic patterns of disease.

Area of Science:

• Epidemiology
• Public Health
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Background:

• Infectious hepatitis outbreaks present challenges in understanding temporal and spatial distribution.
• Effective mapping tools are crucial for public health surveillance and intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development and application of a computerised grid system for visualizing infectious hepatitis outbreaks.
• To explore the utility of social area and cluster analysis for epidemiological studies in New Zealand.

Main Methods:

• Development of a computerised grid for temporal and spatial outbreak data representation.
• Application of social area analysis and cluster analysis techniques.
• Integration of New Zealand census data with geographical mortality and morbidity records.

Main Results:

• The computerised grid effectively demonstrates the temporal and spatial patterns of infectious hepatitis outbreaks.
• Social area and cluster analysis methods are suitable for analyzing disease distribution using linked datasets.

Conclusions:

• The proposed computerised grid and analytical methods offer a valuable tool for infectious hepatitis surveillance in New Zealand.
• Linking census data with health records via geographical reference enhances epidemiological insights.