I need a statistician

[xterrester] "I want to know the statistical likelihood that the relationship is only chance versus the probability that there is a real connection between the disease clusters and the University campuses with medical/bio research facilities."

You do realize that this is a cosmology Website? Your post is a little off topic, and might get more response elsewhere.

However, I'll say that I can see NO possibility that the relationship is random.

If I or a member of my family had a rare disease I'd be spending a lot of time in the closest city where there was a research center focusing on that disease. As the distance to that city increased, my cost to travel there frequently would go up. Beyond some distance it would cost me less (time and/or money and/or energy) to move to that city than to stay where I was and commute.

LB

You're right Larry, this topic is completely off the trail for what is usually discussed here. I am frusterated though. I do not know how to properly arrive at the statistical answer I am seeking and I am having trouble locating someone qualified to help me with this.

By the way, in this particular case those with the rare disease are native to the areas of the clusters.

You'll want to weight the cities by population, first of all.

Secondly, consider the possibility that reports of the disease are not more frequent in those cities because cases are more frequent, but instead because there is better reporting of diseases in those cities.

Thank you for your input Astrodelugologist.

These cases of Morgellons that form the clusters have all been self reported, not diagnosed and reported by a Doctor as Morgellons is so new it isn't officially recognized by the medical community yet.
It seems to me that these cases being self-reported might level the field as far as total amount of cases vs total reported cases from city to city.

What is the nature of Morgellon's disease reporting? How are the people who are submitting the reports doing so? If a medical professional plays any part in the reporting process (for example, passing on a claim made by a self-diagnosed person), the playing field may not be level.

--Astro