When people live in a location with a generally clean, healthy, stable and safe environment, that place can be categorized as livable [1]. In the post-independence era, more Malaysians have migrated to urban areas seeking a better life. Kuala Lumpur, as a developing city, offers many job opportunities to cater to the urban population. Thus, it has to transform Kuala Lumpur into a city with a high population density. Furthermore, urban areas such as Kuala Lumpur, also provide numerous facilities and services in various sectors, including education, transport, health and communication. Every year, a growing population causes urban areas into becoming more compact, and gradually creates satellite cities around Kuala Lumpur, namely Greater Kuala Lumpur or also known as Klang Valley. Situated on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, several districts of Selangor State such as Shah Alam, Petaling Jaya, Klang, Subang Jaya, Selayang, Ampang Jaya, Sepang, and Kajang that made up Greater Kuala Lumpur are developing gradually as these cities provide a pleasant and more spacious residential area [2].
Malaysia has experienced a rapid expansion of the neighbourhood, especially in urban areas since the 1970s due to the rapid cycle of urbanization [3]. The major driving forces for housing demand and development are shifts in demographics, land availability and suitability. Therefore, urban liveability can be defined as a sustainable and harmonious way of developing economic, financial, cultural, land use and the environment in cities [4]. A liveable city, from urban planning and land use, is a community with a sufficient set of good living conditions (both natural and cultural) and appropriate patterns of land use that meet the needs of residents [5].
While rapid urbanization has brought tremendous changes to the urban landscape, scholars also noted the increase in outbreaks of vector-borne infectious disease, the dengue fever in these satellite cities [6-18]. Dengue fever is one of the world's most rapidly spreading mosquito-borne viral infections caused by closely related dengue viruses. There was about 1.2 million dengue fever reported around the world in 2008, which then rose to 3.34 million cases in 2016 [19]. According to a statistic by Ministry of Health Malaysia, 130,101 dengue fever cases were reported for the year 2019 and caused 182 deaths in Malaysia [20]. However, dengue fever cases show a significant decline in March 2020 where there are 34,238 cases reported cumulatively compared to the same week on last year (March 2019) with 36,285 dengue fever cases have been reported [21]. Dengue is predominantly an urban disease in Malaysia, and Selangor is the area that has been primarily affected by the disease with a large number of cases [22].
The increase in vector density can be attributed to heavy monsoon and hot, humid weather driven by the area's construction activities, urbanization, population growth, ecological and environmental changes [23]. It is observed that the main dengue vectors are active via Aedes mosquitoes when the temperature in the surrounding area is below 28°C. Aedes mosquitoes also need clean stagnant water to reproduce and lay eggs [24]. Female Aedes aegypti lay eggs usually on the interior walls of artificial containers. When the containers are filled with water, the eggs hatch for the mosquito larvae. An Aedes mosquito's egg will hatch into a larva in less than a day under optimal conditions. After about four days, the larva develops into a pupa, from which an adult mosquito emerges after two days.
The Aedes mosquitoes used to live with people and reside within and outside the home. The dengue virus is known to spread rapidly due to the high adaptive pattern of the Aedes species with climate change, common areas suitable as breeding sites, functional population mobility and international trade [25]. With high population density, the urban area is concentrated with on-going construction, abundant land, and field, provided a suitable habitat for Aedes mosquitoes. Thus, this situation resulted in dengue disease also one of the leading health problems in Bandar Baru Bangi town, located within the state of Selangor [26]. Through GIS, dengue outbreaks mapping within Bandar Baru Bangi town can be built. Spatial mapping that uses point data can indicate areas affected by dengue incidence.
The surveillance of epidemic spread using GIS mapping is slowly becoming relevant for disease control and management [27]. Spatial-temporal analysis techniques are useful for measuring, assessing, and interpreting the dengue outbreak in the urban area [22]. Geo-processing and digital modelling methods have been implemented over the years to analyze public health issues and to use spatial analysis tools to interpret the spatial distribution patterns of epidemiological data [28].
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the density of dengue cases and to determine the type of land use in the Bandar Baru Bangi area to contribute to the effective decision-making process for the control of dengue outbreaks. ArcMap version 10.5 of the Geographic Information System (GIS) software was used to analyze and visualize the density using the Kernel Density tools. The Kernel Density tool calculates the density of features around those features in a neighbourhood. It can be calculated for features of both points and lines [29]. The application of this knowledge would reinforce the system of disease surveillance and enhance human resilience in urban areas.