Abstract
Geographical Information Systems for disease surveillance play a major role in public health and epidemiology. Malaria is a serious tropical disease and micro level mapping of the disease and its determinants are necessary. Several studies have identified that the major malaria vector Anopheles breeds in pools and streams and hence the people living in close proximity to such breeding sites are at a high risk. The impact of topography and human activities on the incidence of malaria was investigated in a longitudinal trial study conducted in the highly endemic Vellar region of Salem in India using a Global Positioning System (GPS) and a Geographical Information System (GIS). A group of highly endemic villages and an uninfected village with similar topography were surveyed for their geographical features, distance from house to breeding sites, the socio economic living condition of a community (including the construction type of houses), and the use of anti-malaria measures. The results indicated significant relationships between the disease risk and the livelihood patterns of the infected community like sanitation, livestock dependence, etc. A comparative study against the uninfected village highlighted heterogeneous differences among the regions. Based on the integration of social, biological and geographical sciences, the present study provides the regional malaria control authorities an opportunity to assess the risk of encountering the disease infection and to plan prevention measures accordingly.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Barbazan P, Baldet T, Darriet F, Escaffre H, Dhoda DH, Hougard JM, (1998)Impact of treatments with B.sphaericus on Anopheles populations and thetransmission of malaria in Maroua, a large city in a savannah region of Cameron.J.Am. Mos. Contrl Asso. 14:33–39.
Charlwood JD, Pinto J, Ferrara PR, Sousa CA, Ferreira C, Gil V, Virgillo ER(2003) Raised houses reduce mosquito bites, Malaria Journal 2:45
Chinery WA (1984) Effects of ecological changes on the malaria vectorsAnopheles funestes and the Anopheles gambiae complex of mosquitoes in Accra, Ghana. J. Trop. Med. Hyg 87:75–81
Coene J (1993) Malaria in Urban and rural Kinshasa: the entomological input.Med Vet Entomol 7: 127–137
Eisele TP, Keating J, Swalm C, Mbogo C, Githeko A, Regens JL, Githure JI, Andrews L and Beier J C (2003) Linking field based ecological data with remotelysensed data using a geographic information system in two malaria endemicurban areas of Kenya. Malaria Journal 2:44
Gimnig JE, Ombok M, Kamau L, Hawley WA (2001) Characteristics of larvalAnopheline (Diptera: Culicidae) habitat in western Kenya. J Med Entomol 38:282–288
Greenwood BM, Marsh K, Snow RW (1991) Why some African children developsevere malaria? Parasitol Today 7: 277–281
Hoek W, Konradson F, Amersinghe P H, Perara D, Piyaratne M K, Ameras-inghe FP (2003) Towards a risk map of malaria in Srilanka: the importance ofhouse location relative to vector breeding sites. Int J Epidemiology 32: 280–285
Keating J, Macintyre K, Mbogo C, Githeko A, Regens JL, Swalm C, Ndenga B, Steinberg L, Kibe L, Githure JI and Beier JC (2003) A geographical samplingstrategy for studying relationships between human activity and malariavectors in Urban Africa Am. J Trop. Med. Hyg 68 (3): 357–365
Konradsen F, Amerasinghe P, Hoek W, Amerasinghe F, Perara D, Piyaratne M (2003) Strong Association between House characteristics and malaria vectorsin Srilanka Am. J Trop. Med. Hyg 68 (2): 177–181
Marsh K (1992) Malaria-a neglected disease? Parasitol 104: S53–S69
Mbogo CNM, Kabiru EW, Gregory EG, Forster D, Snow RW, Khamala CBM, Ouma JH, Githure JI, Marsh K and Beier JC (1999) Vector relatedcase control study of severe malaria in Kilifi district, Kenya Am. J Trop MedHygiene, 60 (5): 781–785
Minakawa N, Mutero CM, Githuire JI, Beier JC, Yan G (1999) Spatial distributionand habitat characterization of anopheline mosquito larva in Western Kenya. Am. J Trop. Med. Hyg 61: 1010–1
Roper MH, Torres RSC, Goicochea CG, Anderson EM, Guarda JSA, Calampa, Hightower A W, Magill A J (2000) The Epidemiology of malaria inepidemic area of the Peruvian Amazon Am. J Trop. Med. Hyg 62(2):247–
Singh N, Mishra AK, Shukla MM, Chand SK, (2003) Forest malaria in Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh, Central India: A Case study in Tribal Community Am. J Trop. Med. Hyg 68 (5): 602–607
Staedke SG, Nottigham EW, Cox J, Kamya MR, Rosenthal PJ and Dorsey G(2003) Short report: Proximity to Mosquito Breeding sites as a risk factor forclinical malarial episodes in an urban Cohort of Ugandan Children. Am. J Trop. Med. Hyg 69 (3): 244–246
Tadei WP, Tatcher BD, Santos JMM, Scarpassa VM, Rodrigues IB, Rafeal MS (1998) Ecologic observations on Anopheline vectors of Malaria in theBrazilian Amazon Am. J Trop Med Hyg, 59 (2): 325–335
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2007 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Prashanthi, D., Ranganathan, C.R., Balasubramanian, S. (2007). Socio-Demographic Determinants of Malaria in Highly Infected Rural Areas: Regional Influential Assessment Using GIS. In: Lai, P.C., Mak, A.S.H. (eds) GIS for Health and the Environment. Lecture Notes in Geoinformation and Cartography. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-71318-0_14
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-71318-0_14
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-71317-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-71318-0
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)