Geographical Aspects of Health and Disease in India

Medical Geography

Medical geography or geography of health utilizes the concepts and techniques of geography to investigate health-related issues. It employs spatial analysis, the study of the distribution of discrete variables or indicators. Geoecology of Ebola and Zika are contemporary examples that show the regional variation in disease distribution. The analysis of the areal or spatial patterns of disease and health care provisions may often be based on mapping of various indicators of disease and health care provisions. Such maps using GIS techniques are utilized as analytical tools to understand the environmental framework of the occurrence of disease, and spatial distribution of health care provision and access to health services, identifying inequalities in their distribution and suggesting ideal locations for future health care provisions.

The aims of the book are to throw light on the present status of research in medical geography in India and understanding the geomedical processes of different geographical regions. It also aims at stimulating as much as possible research, to explore new dimensions and wider horizons in this field of medical geography covering various diversified regions in India.