Geospatial Analysis and Distribution of Records of Sicknesses/Diseases
(Malaria, Diabetes, Sickle Cell Disorder, Typhoid Fever)
(A Case Study of the General Hospitals in Lagos State, Nigeria.)
Omogunloye O.G.1, Oladiboye O.E2, Qaadri J.A.3 and Omogunloye H.B4
1Department of Surveying and Geoinformatics, University of Lagos, Lagos
2Department of Surveying and Geo-informatics, Yaba Tech, Lagos
3Department of Surveying and Geoinformatics, Federal School of Surveying, Oyo, Oyo State
4Department of English Language, University of Lagos, Lagos
E-mail: gabolushohan@yahoo.com
ABSTRACT
The paper deals with the application of GIS in the analysis and distribution of records of sicknesses/diseases (malaria, diabetes, sickle cell disorder, typhoid fever) in Lagos State General Hospitals. It presents and discusses the basic principles, potential benefits and major limitations of GIS in the health sector. The Data used in this project were collected from the office of the Lagos State Health Service Commission and comprises both attribute and spatial data. This project has been organized mainly on ArcGIS 9.2 and Microsoft Excel software. The ArcGIS 9.2 software provides a user with menu to see the organized information. Also an interactive query shell is provided to the user as a decisions making tool. The strong point of the GIS system is that it allows the simultaneous spatial display of the integrated tabular data (attribute) and the spatial data, thus, depicting the ground reality of the integrated data. The results obtained from the various queries performed depict the distribution of diseases (Malaria, diabetes, sickle cell
disorder and typhoid fever) in Lagos state. The mortality rate is also gotten for both male and female incoming and outgoing patients in the various general hospitals. For example General Hospital Ikorodu had the highest rate of typhoid and paratyphoid fever cases in 2005. Geographic Information System (GIS) is an innovative technology, ideal for generating data suitable for analysis (both with respect to space and time). The application of GIS as a tool in monitoring disease is one that will improve the
speed, quality, access and use of Health Management information.