Geographical analysis of Hepatitis-B and Hepatitis-C patients in the selected two districts of Tripura, India-using GIS

Introduction: In India, Hepatitis-B and Hepatitis-C viruses pose serious public health risks, especially in the Tripura, North-Eastern state of India, where high infection rates are caused by inadequate healthcare facilities, risky medical procedures, and a lack of awareness. The purpose of this study is to examine the distribution of Hepatitis-B (HBV) and Hepatitis-B (HCV) cases in the South and Gomati districts of Tripura during 2022-2024 in terms of spatial distribution, gender, and age. Both districts’ rural and tribal communities had extremely high rates of HBV and HCV infections. Methods: Hepatitis-B and Hepatitis-C viruses infected patients in the South Tripura and Gomati Districts of Tripura State are collected from the District Headquarters Government Hospital located in Santir Bazar and Udaipur, The total numbers of Hepatitis-B infected patients from 2022-2024 is 59 and total Number of Hepatitis-C infected patients from 2022-2024 is 25 in South Tripura District. The total number of Hepatitis-B infected patients is 80, and Hepatitis-C is 22 in the Gomati Tripura District during 2022-2024. The total Hepatitis-B and Hepatitis-C virus infected patients records are exported to the Quantum Geographical Information System (QGIS) 3.4 Madeira, the Google Earth pro for mapping and are analysed to assess the association between the socio-demographic factors. Results and Discussion: While Gomati district showed higher treatment adherence for HCV, South Tripura had a higher concentration of HBV patients. Geographical clusters and the pattern of HBV and HCV cases are found in random distribution. The age group of 21–40 is the most infected HBV in the South Tripura district; X² = 15.18, p-value = 0.0096; and Gomati Tripura: X² = 14.77, p-value = 0.0114). Age and HCV prevalence, however, neared statistical significance, suggesting changing patterns of transmission (South Tripura: p-value = 0.0737; Gomati district: p-value = 0.0523). Conclusion: The prevalence of both infections is found highest among the young adult age group of 21–30. In 2024, both illnesses had spread into larger age groups, with elderly populations in Gomati experiencing an increase in instances. In order to effective control measures on Hepatitis-B and C virus infection in the Tripura state, the study emphasizes the value of GIS in identifying high-risk villages and thus, increase of infrastructure resource allocation for improving vaccination coverage, especially for the age group of 21-50.