Detecting dengue outbreaks in Malaysia using geospatial techniques

Submitted: 14 April 2021
Accepted: 9 August 2021
Published: 3 November 2021
Abstract Views: 2623
PDF: 712
HTML: 270
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Authors

Dengue is a complex disease with an increasing number of infections worldwide. This study aimed to analyse spatiotemporal dengue outbreaks using geospatial techniques and examine the effects of the weather on dengue outbreaks in the Klang Valley area, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Daily weather variables including rainfall, temperature (maximum and minimum) and wind speed were acquired together with the daily reported dengue cases data from 2001 to 2011 and converted into geospatial format to identify whether there was a specific pattern of the dengue outbreaks. The association between these variables and dengue outbreaks was assessed using Spearman's correlation. The result showed that dengue outbreaks consistently occurred in the study area during a 11-year study period. And that the strongest outbreaks frequently occurred in two high-rise apartment buildings located in Kuala Lumpur City centre. The results also show significant negative correlations between maximum temperature and minimum temperature on dengue outbreaks around the study area as well as in the area of the high-rise apartment buildings in Kuala Lumpur City centre.

Dimensions

Altmetric

PlumX Metrics

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Citations

Aris T, 2019. Prolonged dengue outbreak at a high-rise apartment in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia: A case study. Trop Biomed 36:550-8.
Beatty ME, Beutels P, Meltzer MI, Shepard DS, Hombach J, Hutubessy R, 2011. Health economics of dengue: a systematic literature review and expert panel’s assessment. Am J Trop Med Hyg 84:473-88. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.2011.10-0521
Braga C, Luna CF, Martelli CM, De Souza WV, Cordeiro MT, Alexander N, 2010. Seroprevalence and risk factors for dengue infection in socio-economically distinct areas of Recife, Brazil. Acta Trop 113:234-40. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actatropica.2009.10.021
Chan M, Johansson MA, 2012. The incubation periods of dengue viruses. PLoS One 7:e50972. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0050972
Chang MS, Christophel EM, Gopinath D, Abdur RM, 2011. Challenges and future perspective for dengue vector control in the Western Pacific Region. Western Pac Surveill Response J WPSAR 2:9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5365/wpsar.2010.1.1.012
Cheong YL, Leitão PJ, Lakes T, 2014. Assessment of land use factors associated with dengue cases in Malaysia using boosted regression trees. Spat Spatio-temporal Epidemiol 10:75-84. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sste.2014.05.002
Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre C, 2020. Dengue in Malaysia. Accessed: 1 Oct 2020.
Dom NC, Ahmad AH, Adawiyah R, Ismail R, 2010. Spatial mapping of temporal risk characteristic of dengue cases in Subang Jaya. Proceedings of the Science and Social Research (CSSR), 2010 International Conference: IEEE, 361-6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/CSSR.2010.5773800
Er A, Rosli M, Asmahani A, Mohamad Naim M, Harsuzilawati M, 2010. Spatial mapping of dengue incidence: a case study in Hulu Langat District, Selangor, Malaysia. Int J Humanit Soc Sci 5:410-4.
Gibbons RV, 2010. Dengue conundrums. Int J Antimicrob Agents 36:S36-S9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2010.06.019
Gubler DJ, 2011. Dengue, urbanization and globalization: the unholy trinity of the 21st century. Trop Med Health 39:3. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2149/tmh.2011-S05
Guzman A, Istúriz RE, 2010. Update on the global spread of dengue. Int J Antimicrob Agents 36:S40-2. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2010.06.018
Guzman MG, Halstead SB, Artsob H, Buchy P, Farrar J, Gubler DJ, 2010. Dengue: a continuing global threat. Nat Rev Microbiol 8:S7-16. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro2460
Halstead SB, 2007. Dengue. Lancet 370:1644-52. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61687-0
Hawley WA, Reiter P, Copeland RS, Pumpuni CB, Craig GB, 1987. Aedes albopictus in North America: probable introduction in used tires from northern Asia. Science 236:1114-6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.3576225
Hayes JM, García-Rivera E, Flores-Reyna R, Suárez-Rangel G, Rodríguez-Mata T, Coto-Portillo R, 2003. Risk factors for infection during a severe dengue outbreak in El Salvador in 2000. Am J Trop Med Hyg 69:629-33. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.2003.69.629
Honório NA, Castro MG, Barros FSMD, Magalhães MDaFM, Sabroza PC, 2009. The spatial distribution of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus in a transition zone, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Cad Saude Publica 25:1203-14. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/S0102-311X2009000600003
Iyagba R, 2005. The menace of sick building; a challenge to all for its prevention and treatment: an inaugural lecture. University of Lagos Press, Lagos, Nigeria.
Jemal Y, Al-Thukair AA, 2018. Combining GIS application and climatic factors for mosquito control in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. Saudi J Biol Sci 25:1593-602. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sjbs.2016.04.001
Lafferty KD, 2009. The ecology of climate change and infectious diseases. Ecology 90:888-900. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1890/08-0079.1
Lau K, Chen CD, Lee H, Izzul A, Asri-Isa M, Zulfadli M, 2013. Vertical distribution of Aedes mosquitoes in multiple storey buildings in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Trop Biomed 30:36-45.
Lawson AB, Williams FL, Williams F, 2001. An introductory guide to disease mapping. Wiley Online Library, New York, NU, USA. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/0470842571
Lee C, Vythilingam I, Chong C-S, Razak MaA, Tan C-H, Liew C, 2013. Gravitraps for management of dengue clusters in Singapore. Am J Trop Med Hyg 88:888. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.12-0329
Lee HL, Chen CD, Masri SM, Chiang YF, Chooi KH, Benjamin S, 2008. Impact of larviciding with a Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis formulation, VectoBac WG, on dengue mosquito vectors in a dengue endemic site in Selangor State, Malaysia. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health 39:601-9.
Liu K, Hou X, Ren Z, Lowe R, Wang Y, Li R, 2020. Climate factors and the East Asian summer monsoon may drive large outbreaks of dengue in China. Environ 183:109190. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2020.109190
Liu Z, Zhang Z, Lai Z, Zhou T, Jia Z, Gu J, 2017. Temperature increase enhances Aedes albopictus competence to transmit dengue virus. Front Microbiol 8:2337. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2017.02337
Lowe R, Bailey TC, Stephenson DB, Graham RJ, Coelho CA, Carvalho MS, 2011. Spatio-temporal modelling of climate-sensitive disease risk: Towards an early warning system for dengue in Brazil. Comput Geosci 37:371-81. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cageo.2010.01.008
Ma S, Ooi EE, Goh KT, 2008. Socioeconomic determinants of dengue incidence in Singapore. Accessed: 1 Oct 2020.
Malaysia MOH, 2009. Pelan Strategik Pencegahan dan Kawalan Denggi 2009-2013. Malaysia Ministry of Health, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Marinho RA, Beserra EB, Bezerraâ€Gusmão MA, Porto VDS, Olinda RA, Dos Santos CA, 2016. Effects of temperature on the life cycle, expansion, and dispersion of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) in three cities in Paraiba, Brazil. J Vector Ecol 41:1-10. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jvec.12187
Moha A, Maru M, Lika TJ, 2020. Assessment of malaria hazard, vulnerability, and risks in Dire Dawa City Administration of eastern Ethiopia using GIS and remote sensing. Appl 12:15-22. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12518-019-00276-5
Mohammed SH, Ahmed MM, Mohammed ZH, Adeboye AJB, Journal BR, 2019. High risk disease mapping and spatial effect of pulmonary tuberculosis in Kerbala, Iraq. Biomed Biotechnol Res J 3:150.
Murugesan B, Karuppannan S, Mengistie AT, Ranganathan M, Gopalakrishnan GJJOGS, 2020. Distribution and Trend Analysis of COVID-19 in India. Geospat Approach 4:1-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21523/gcj5.20040101
Nazni W, Lee H, Wan Rozita W, Lian A, Chen C, Azahari A, 2009. Oviposition behaviour of Aedes albopictus in temephos and Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis-treated ovitraps. Accessed: 15 Oct 2020.
Nazri C, Hashim A, Rodziah I, 2009. Distribution pattern of a dengue fever outbreak using GIS. J Environ Health Res 9:89-96.
Ng LC, 2011. Challenges in dengue surveillance and control. Western Pac Surveill Response J 2:1-3. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5365/wpsar.2011.2.2.001
Otu A, Ebenso B, Etokidem A, Chukwuekezie O, 2019. Dengue fever - an update review and implications for Nigeria, and similar countries. Afr Health Sci 19:2000-7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4314/ahs.v19i2.23
Paz-Soldan VA, Plasai V, Morrison AC, Rios-Lopez EJ, Guedez-Gonzales S, Grieco JP, 2011. Initial assessment of the acceptability of a Push-Pull Aedes aegypti control strategy in Iquitos, Peru and Kanchanaburi, Thailand. Am J Trop Med Hyg 84:208. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.2011.09-0615
Rodhain F, Rosen L, Gubler D, Kuno G, 1997. Mosquito vectors and dengue virus-vector relationships. In: Dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever. CAB International, New York, NY, USA, pp 45-60.
Rudnick A, Tan EE, Lucas JK, Omar MB, 1965. Mosquito-borne haemorrhagic fever in Malaya. Br Med J 1:1269-72. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.1.5445.1269
Scott TW, Morrison AC, 2010. Longitudinal field studies will guide a paradigm shift in dengue prevention. Vector Biol Ecol Control 139-61. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2458-9_10
Simmons CP, Farrar JJ, Nguyen VV, Wills B, 2012. Dengue. N Engl J Med 366:1423-32. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMra1110265
Skae FM, 1902. Dengue fever in Penang. Br Med J 2:1581-2. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.2.2185.1581-a
Smith CE, 1957. A localized outbreak of dengue fever in Kuala Lumpur: serological aspects. J Hyg (Lond) 55:207-23. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022172400037116
Thammapalo S, Chongsuwiwatwong V, Geater A, Lim A, Choomalee K, 2005. Socio-demographic and environmental factors associated with Aedes breeding places in Phuket, Thailand. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health 36:426-33.
Wan-Norafikah O, Nazni W, Noramiza S, Shafa’ar-Ko’ohar S, Heah S, Nor-Azlina A, 2012. Distribution of Aedes mosquitoes in three selected localities in Malaysia. Sains Malays 41:1309-13.
Wen T-H, Lin NH, Chao D-Y, Hwang K-P, Kan C-C, Lin KC-M, 2010. Spatial–temporal patterns of dengue in areas at risk of dengue hemorrhagic fever in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 2002. Int J Infect Dis 14:e334-e43. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2009.06.006
Wen TH, Lin NH, Lin CH, King CC, Su MD, 2006. Spatial mapping of temporal risk characteristics to improve environmental health risk identification: A case study of a dengue epidemic in Taiwan. Sci Total Environ 367:631-40. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2006.02.009
World Health Organisation W, 2019. Dengue situation update 2019. Accessed: 1 Dec 2020.
World Health Organization W, 2009. Dengue: guidelines for diagnosis, treatment, prevention and control. World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.
Yasuno M, Tonn RJ, 1970. A study of biting habits of Aedes aegypti in Bangkok, Thailand. Bull World Health Organ 43:319.
Yu H-L, Yang S-J, Yen H-J, Christakos G, 2011. A spatio-temporal climate-based model of early dengue fever warning in southern Taiwan. Stoch Environ Res Risk Assess 25:485-94. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00477-010-0417-9

How to Cite

Nellis, S., Loong, S. K., Abd-Jamil, J. ., Fauzi, R., & AbuBakar, S. (2021). Detecting dengue outbreaks in Malaysia using geospatial techniques. Geospatial Health, 16(2). https://doi.org/10.4081/gh.2021.1008

List of Cited By :

Crossref logo