Tuberculosis is one of the most contagious diseases. Although it has been present for
over 5000 years, it is still one of the most significant public health problems. Tuberculosis is
defined as a disease caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Its
incidence has increased and decreased over time, but it has always been a constant threat
to public health. In the 1940’s some medicines were discovered to treat tuberculosis, so it
slowly began to decrease. But then countries let their guard down, tuberculosis was
neglected and so cases increased.
The aim of this study was to create a disease density map. Why tuberculosis? The
reason being that tuberculosis has attained an important place among contagious diseases.
This study will determine the distribution of tuberculosis in the Izmir Province of Turkey.
When we take a glance at the mortality rates due to tuberculosis, we recognize that this
disease is common in crowded cites. Izmir is the third most crowded city in Turkey. In this
study, we investigated tuberculosis which had been reported to the Contagious Diseases
Department of the Izmir Province Health Directorship with the form 014. This study will show
a GIS based approach to an analysis of tuberculosis data. Case data were obtained from
Izmir for the period of 1994-2006. GIS was used to show the distribution of tuberculosis
cases. The mapping of the disease density is significant because it may be a clue as to its
causes and affects and can also provide an insight into the possible changes and rates of
the disease in the coming years. Also this study is an example for medical geography.