Spatial Clustering of Notifiable Communicable Diseases in Turkey

When looking at the distribution of infectious diseases in the world in general, it is seen that
there is a distinct difference between developed and developing countries. Morbidity and
mortality rates of infectious diseases decrease as the level of development increases. In other
words, infectious diseases are mostly diseases of developing countries. Therefore, it is
necessary to create an effective fighting program against infectious diseases. One of the most
important components of effective fighting is the establishment of an effective surveillance
system. Monitoring infectious diseases is essential for detecting outbreaks that demand public
health response and control measures.
Many methods are used for this purpose such as spatial clustering. This is defined as
aggregation of disease cases anywhere. Clustering of the disease shows its relation with space.
For this reason, cluster analysis is frequently used in epidemiology. It has been the main
driving force to carry out the study on this relatively new issue for our country. The book is
the product of this work.