Center for Health Applications of Aerospace Related Technologies CHAART

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Center for Health Applications of Aerospace
Related Technologies (CHAART)

• Embry Riddle Aeronautical University
• Ryan Schmoll
• 3 Nov 2007

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Landscape Epidemiology

• Landscape epidemiology involves the
  identification of geographical areas where
  disease is transmitted.
• By knowing the vegetation and geologic conditions
  necessary for the maintenance of specific
  pathogens in nature, one can use the landscape to
  identify the spatial and temporal distribution of
  disease risk.
• Key environmental elements, including elevation,
  temperature, rainfall, and humidity, influence
  the presence, development, activity, and
  longevity of pathogens, vectors, zoonotic
  reservoirs of infection, and their interactions
  with humans.

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Scope

• Cholera Bangladesh Bay of Bengal University of
  Maryland Remote sensing of cholera outbreaks
• Cholera USA Gulf Coast States, Chesapeake Bay,
  Latin America University of Maryland Mapping
  water quality parameters associated with cholera
  Diarrhea Nigeria Chidicon Medical Center
  Application of remote sensing and geographic
  information systems technologies in diarrhea
  prevention
• Ebola Zaire Centers for Disease Control and
  Prevention Ebola virus in Zaire
• Filariasis Egypt Ain Shams University Filariasis
  in the Nile Delta
• Hantavirus USA Mid-Atlantic Johns Hopkins
  University Climate/Ecology linkages to tick-borne
  diseases and hantavirus
• Hantavirus USA Southwest Johns Hopkins
  University Climate/Ecology linkages to tick-borne
  diseases and hantavirus Hantavirus USA Western
  Scripps Institute Desert Research Institute
  Immunologic epidemiologic studies of emerging
  viruses
• Helminthiases China Academy of Natural Sciences
  Chinese Institute of Parasitic Diseases Emerging
  helminthiases in China
• Leishmaniasis Brazil Teresina Harvard, Federal U
  of Piauí Application of remote sensing and
  geographic information systems (GIS) technology
  to study the transmission of Leishmania chagasi
  in Teresina, Piauí, Brazil

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Landsat and the Nile Delta

• Landsat Thematic Mapper data, which coincided
  with Dr. Hassan's epidemiologic, were converted
  into vegetation and moisture indices, as well as
  classified into landcover types. Statistical
  analyses were used to compare these landcover
  variables with the spatial distribution of
  microfilaria in 201 villages, spread throughout
  10 communities.

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Findings

• Of the villages located within 2 km from the main
  Nile branches (n 46), 95 exhibited low
  prevalence.
• The spatial pattern of mf prevalence was shown to
  be negatively associated with annual rainfall and
  relative humidity, while it was positively
  associated with annual daily temperature.
• Average mf prevalence in warmer, relatively drier
  areas receiving 25 mm of rain was significantly
  higher (3.9) than that in less warmer but more
  humid areas receiving 50 mm of rain (1.6) (P lt
  0.0001).
• Based on the results of the present study, GIS
  was used to generate a "filariasis risk map" that
  could be used by health authorities to
  efficiently direct surveillance and control
  efforts.
• This investigation identified some of the factors
  underlying filariasis spatial pattern, quantified
  clustering and demonstrated the potential of GIS
  application in vector-borne disease epidemiology.

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Questions/Discussion?

• Sources http//geo.arc.nasa.gov/sge/health/chaar
  t.html

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