Geographic Clusters and Epidemiological Patterns of Melioidosis in Northern Malaysia: A Retrospective Cohort Study From 2014–2019

¹ Faculty of Entrepreneurship and Business, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia
² Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Sciences, Universiti Teknologi Mara Kelantan, Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia
³ Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Gong Badak Kampus, Kuala Terengganu, Kelantan, Malaysia

^* Corresponding author: norazam05@uitm.edu.my

Abstract

Melioidosis is an infectious disease caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei. It is native to Southeast Asia and Northern Australia and not notifiable to the public and even among clinicians in most countries where it is endemic. This study aimed to determine the disease’s clusters and examine the geographic distribution of melioidosis cases in Northern Malaysia. Retrospective data was gathered on 453 cases from Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah in Kedah and Hospital Tuanku Zahirah in Perlis between 2014 and 2019. 423 of the 453 cases were included in this investigation after undergoing data purification. The information on smoking status, age, gender, address, employment exposure status, and history of melioidosis was collected. The longitude and latitude of the patient’s location were determined using the address that was gathered. Power BI was used to map out the melioidosis cases for spatial analysis. To identify the cluster of cases of clinical melioidosis in northern Malaysia, cluster analysis was performed using SAS Enterprise Miner. The study shows more melioidosis cases around Kedah and Perlis’s focal city and coastal region were detected. Also, the study highlighted two significant clusters: senior males (above 50) and non-senior males (below 60). These findings underscore the importance of targeted public health strategies to effectively prevent and manage melioidosis in northern Malaysia based on location and cluster.