A CLUSTER ANALYSIS OF DIARRHEA DISEASE IN NYERI COUNTY.

Abstract

Spatial clustering is the technique used in a geographic information system to detect patterns of association or correlation in spatial data. This study involved use of geographic information systems to detect patterns or clusters in diarrhea disease occurrence. The area of study was Nyeri County. The study mainly dwelled on the Nyeri Provincial General Hospital as this covers patients and incidences from the whole county. The main objectives for this study were to characterize the disease occurrence across the county and assess any hotspots of occurrence of the disease. The study also looked at the trends of the disease occurrence over time. The data used was patient data which was geocoded to give it a spatial component which can be used in the GIS. This allowed for analysis which will involve use of spatial distance statistics to detect clusters. The statistics used was the Getis-Ord statistics for more robustness and insight.The result producedwere maps and reports indicating the observed patterns in the disease. The results obtained indicated a dense occurrence of the disease around the town Centre specifically around Nyeri town. Since the occurrence was aggregated based on sublocation Kamakwa which harbors Nyeri town had the most cases.