Implementation of ward's agglomerative hierarchical clustering model to detect pulmonary tuberculosis endemic areas in Aceh Utara regency

This study aims to detect pulmonary Tuberculosis (TB) endemic areas in Aceh Utara Regency based on altitude, population density, and the number of TB cases. The Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering (AHC) algorithm was used to cluster 27 subdistricts, each measured by these three factors. The clustering results divided the subdistricts into three main clusters with distinct characteristics. Cluster 1 consists of subdistricts with low altitude, high population density, and relatively high numbers of TB cases, identifying this area as having the highest risk of TB endemicity. Cluster 2 includes areas with moderate population density and TB case numbers, while Cluster 3 consists of subdistricts at higher altitudes with fewer TB cases. The clustering results were evaluated using three key metrics: Silhouette Score, Davies-Bouldin Index, and Dunn Index, which indicated that the clustering model performed well, although some subdistricts were positioned near the cluster boundaries. This research provides valuable information for health authorities to prioritize interventions and allocate resources to areas most in need of TB management.