GIS AND MALARIA SURVEILLANCE
BY: PILARITA RIVERA, BOBBY A. CRISOSTOMO, ELENA A. VILLACORTE, ALEYLA D. ESCUETA, YOSHIHIDE MAEKAWA, MASAHIRO TAKAGI, JOCELYN SAMANIEGO, ANTONNIETA EBOL, SHIGEYUKI KANO
PREFACE: THE RECENT TSUNAMI IN ASIA HAS SHOWN US HOW INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE DISASTER WHEN EVERYTHING WAS IN CHAOS AND EVERYBODY WAS IN A STATE OF SHOCK AND CONFUSION. WHILE THE USUAL DISASTER AND RELIEF AGENCIES WERE STILL ON THE MOVE, IT PEOPLE HAD GONE AHEAD AND APPLIED THEIR EXPERTISE TO DEVICE A SYSTEM OF LOCATING THE VICTIMS, AND FOR THEIR FAMILIES/RELATIVES, A WAY OF TRACING AND LOCATING THEM THROUGH THE INTERNET. THESE EFFORTS THAT ADDRESS FEELINGS OF UNCERTAINTY AND DREAD AMONG THE VICTIMS, THEIR FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES, AND AS SUCH A CRITICAL TIME ARE WORTHY TO BE PRAISED AND EMULATED.
ANOTHER TECHNOLOGY THAT CAN BE VALUABLE IN DISASTERS AND THEIR MITIGATION IS GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM (GIS). PARTICULARLY IN MALARIOUS PRONE AREAS, INTEGRATION OF GIS GENERATED ENVIRONMENTAL DATA WITH THE MALARIA PREVALENCE DATA WILL MAKE THE MALARIA SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM MORE INFORMATIVE OF THE CURRENT MALARIAL SITUATION, AND MORE SENSITIVE TO SUDDEN CHANGES THAT MAY BE DUE TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS INCLUDING NATURAL DISASTERS. THIS TYPE OF MALARIA SURVEILLANCE MAY BE MORE EFFECTIVE IN PREDICTING OUTBREAKS (FORECASTING) AND IDENTIFYING RISK AREAS OR POPULATION GROUPS (RISK ASSESSMENT). BEING TRANSMITTED BY MOSQUITO VECTORS THAT DEPEND CRUCIALLY ON DETERMINANTS SUCH AS TYPE OF BREEDING BREEDING PLACES, RAINFALL, TEMPERATURE, HUMIDITY, ETC., MALARIA IS VERY MUCH AN ENVIRONMENT RELATED DISEASE. WITH GIS IN MALARIA SURVEILLANCE, IT BECOMES EASIER TO ESTABLISH TRENDS SUCH AS RISES OR DECLINES IN MALARIA INCIDENCE DUE TO ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS THAT FAVOR OR HINDER MALARIA TRANSMISSION. IT MAY EVEN BE POSSIBLE TO PREDICT THE EFFECTS OF NATURAL DISASTERS ON THE TRANSMISSION OF MALARIA. AT THE MALARIA CONTROL PROGRAM LEVEL, CLEARER EVIDENCE OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OR FAILURE OF CONTROL MEASURES CAN BE EASILY ACCESSED AND MADE AVAILABLE FOR ALL SERVICE PROVIDERS, TARGET CLIENTS, STAKEHOLDERS, AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC.
WHILE THE MONOGRAPH SHOWS THE MALARIA SITUATION IN THE PHILIPPINES, THE FOCUS IS ON THOSE MALARIOUS PROVINCES THAT WERE AFFECTED BY NATURAL DISASTERS IN THE RECENT PAST. THAT THE 5 STUDIES INCLUDED IN THIS STUDY ARE DISASTER-PRONE IS SUPPORTED BY RECORDS OF NATURAL DISASTERS SUCH AS EARTHQUAKES, TSUNAMIS, LANDSLIDES, AND FLOODS OCCURRING AND CAUSING DEVASTATION IN THESE AREAS. THE MALARIA PREVALENCE OF THESE 5 PROVINCES IS ANALYZED TOGETHER WITH THEMES OR LAYERS DERIVED FROM DIGITIZED TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS, CLIMATE MAPS, AND GEOHAZARD MAPS USING ArcGIS. OF THE 9 TOPOGRAPHIC FEATURES INCLUDED IN THE ANALYSIS, 4 NAMELY SLOPE, ASPECT, MEAN ORIENTATION OF RIVER NETWORK AND WATER FLOW DIRECTION SHOW SIGNIFICANCE ASSOCIATION WITH THE PREVALENCE OF MALARIA. THE OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL DATA THAT DID NOT SHOW SIGNIFICANT ASSOCIATION WITH MALARIA PREVALENCE, BUT MAY PROVIDE USEFUL INFORMATION FOR EACH PROVINCE INCLUDE ELEVATION, CLIMATE AND EARTHQUAKE-TRIGGERED LANDSLIDE SUSCEPTIBILITY. THESE RESULTS PROVIDES EVIDENCE THAT MALARIA OCCURRENCE AND TRANSMISSION ARE DEPENDENT ON THE ENVIRONMENT BECAUSE THE LATTER PROVIDES THE OPTIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR Anopheles MOSQUITO BREEDING. THIS STUDY ALSO INCLUDES AN IDENTIFICATION OF Anopheles SPECIES COLLECTED IN KNOWN MALARIOUS SITES IN THE STUDY PROVINCES.
IT IS HOPED THAT THIS MONOGRAPH CAN HAVE ITS SHARE IN IMPROVING MALARIA SURVEILLANCE GENERALLY IN ALL ENDEMIC AREAS AND PARTICULARY IN DISASTER-PRONE ENDEMIC MALARIOUS AREAS.
PREFACE: THE RECENT TSUNAMI IN ASIA HAS SHOWN US HOW INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE DISASTER WHEN EVERYTHING WAS IN CHAOS AND EVERYBODY WAS IN A STATE OF SHOCK AND CONFUSION. WHILE THE USUAL DISASTER AND RELIEF AGENCIES WERE STILL ON THE MOVE, IT PEOPLE HAD GONE AHEAD AND APPLIED THEIR EXPERTISE TO DEVICE A SYSTEM OF LOCATING THE VICTIMS, AND FOR THEIR FAMILIES/RELATIVES, A WAY OF TRACING AND LOCATING THEM THROUGH THE INTERNET. THESE EFFORTS THAT ADDRESS FEELINGS OF UNCERTAINTY AND DREAD AMONG THE VICTIMS, THEIR FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES, AND AS SUCH A CRITICAL TIME ARE WORTHY TO BE PRAISED AND EMULATED.
ANOTHER TECHNOLOGY THAT CAN BE VALUABLE IN DISASTERS AND THEIR MITIGATION IS GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM (GIS). PARTICULARLY IN MALARIOUS PRONE AREAS, INTEGRATION OF GIS GENERATED ENVIRONMENTAL DATA WITH THE MALARIA PREVALENCE DATA WILL MAKE THE MALARIA SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM MORE INFORMATIVE OF THE CURRENT MALARIAL SITUATION, AND MORE SENSITIVE TO SUDDEN CHANGES THAT MAY BE DUE TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS INCLUDING NATURAL DISASTERS. THIS TYPE OF MALARIA SURVEILLANCE MAY BE MORE EFFECTIVE IN PREDICTING OUTBREAKS (FORECASTING) AND IDENTIFYING RISK AREAS OR POPULATION GROUPS (RISK ASSESSMENT). BEING TRANSMITTED BY MOSQUITO VECTORS THAT DEPEND CRUCIALLY ON DETERMINANTS SUCH AS TYPE OF BREEDING BREEDING PLACES, RAINFALL, TEMPERATURE, HUMIDITY, ETC., MALARIA IS VERY MUCH AN ENVIRONMENT RELATED DISEASE. WITH GIS IN MALARIA SURVEILLANCE, IT BECOMES EASIER TO ESTABLISH TRENDS SUCH AS RISES OR DECLINES IN MALARIA INCIDENCE DUE TO ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS THAT FAVOR OR HINDER MALARIA TRANSMISSION. IT MAY EVEN BE POSSIBLE TO PREDICT THE EFFECTS OF NATURAL DISASTERS ON THE TRANSMISSION OF MALARIA. AT THE MALARIA CONTROL PROGRAM LEVEL, CLEARER EVIDENCE OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OR FAILURE OF CONTROL MEASURES CAN BE EASILY ACCESSED AND MADE AVAILABLE FOR ALL SERVICE PROVIDERS, TARGET CLIENTS, STAKEHOLDERS, AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC.
WHILE THE MONOGRAPH SHOWS THE MALARIA SITUATION IN THE PHILIPPINES, THE FOCUS IS ON THOSE MALARIOUS PROVINCES THAT WERE AFFECTED BY NATURAL DISASTERS IN THE RECENT PAST. THAT THE 5 STUDIES INCLUDED IN THIS STUDY ARE DISASTER-PRONE IS SUPPORTED BY RECORDS OF NATURAL DISASTERS SUCH AS EARTHQUAKES, TSUNAMIS, LANDSLIDES, AND FLOODS OCCURRING AND CAUSING DEVASTATION IN THESE AREAS. THE MALARIA PREVALENCE OF THESE 5 PROVINCES IS ANALYZED TOGETHER WITH THEMES OR LAYERS DERIVED FROM DIGITIZED TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS, CLIMATE MAPS, AND GEOHAZARD MAPS USING ArcGIS. OF THE 9 TOPOGRAPHIC FEATURES INCLUDED IN THE ANALYSIS, 4 NAMELY SLOPE, ASPECT, MEAN ORIENTATION OF RIVER NETWORK AND WATER FLOW DIRECTION SHOW SIGNIFICANCE ASSOCIATION WITH THE PREVALENCE OF MALARIA. THE OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL DATA THAT DID NOT SHOW SIGNIFICANT ASSOCIATION WITH MALARIA PREVALENCE, BUT MAY PROVIDE USEFUL INFORMATION FOR EACH PROVINCE INCLUDE ELEVATION, CLIMATE AND EARTHQUAKE-TRIGGERED LANDSLIDE SUSCEPTIBILITY. THESE RESULTS PROVIDES EVIDENCE THAT MALARIA OCCURRENCE AND TRANSMISSION ARE DEPENDENT ON THE ENVIRONMENT BECAUSE THE LATTER PROVIDES THE OPTIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR Anopheles MOSQUITO BREEDING. THIS STUDY ALSO INCLUDES AN IDENTIFICATION OF Anopheles SPECIES COLLECTED IN KNOWN MALARIOUS SITES IN THE STUDY PROVINCES.
IT IS HOPED THAT THIS MONOGRAPH CAN HAVE ITS SHARE IN IMPROVING MALARIA SURVEILLANCE GENERALLY IN ALL ENDEMIC AREAS AND PARTICULARY IN DISASTER-PRONE ENDEMIC MALARIOUS AREAS.