Exploring Geospatial Clusters of Five Primary Respiratory Diseases in South Punjab, Pakistan: An Epidemiological Examination

Respiratory diseases constitute a significant burden of morbidity and mortality in developing nations such as Pakistan. This study aims to analyze five prevalent respiratory ailments - acute respiratory infections (ARI), tuberculosis (TB), pneumonia, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) - within South Punjab, Pakistan. Utilizing the tehsil level (the administrative sub unit of district), case data spanning five years (2016-2020) were collected from 1,487 government health centers across the study area. Spatial analysis techniques including Local Moran’s I and Getis Ord Gi* statistics were employed to identify clusters and outliers. The results revealed spatial heterogeneity in respiratory disease prevalence, delineating both high-intensity (hotspots) and low-intensity (cold spots) clusters across the region. Specifically, ARI hotspots were observed in northeastern and central regions, asthma hotspots in central and north-central areas, COPD hotspot areas in the north and northeast, pneumonia hotspots in the central region, and TB hotspots predominantly in the central region. These findings offer critical insights for targeted public health interventions, facilitating resource allocation for disease prevention and control efforts. Additionally, this study presents recommendations addressing local environmental and socio-economic factors to mitigate respiratory disease incidence through administrative environmental management and community engagement strategies.