New global migration map may help
fight malaria
Researchers have developed a map based
on the census data of 40 different countries that can track the flow of
internal human migration in low- and middle-income countries as well as help in
the global fight against infectious diseases like malaria.
The map shows webs of connectivity
within countries across three continents -- Africa, Asia and Latin America and
the Caribbean -- and indicates the high and low flows of people moving between
different locations.
"Understanding how people are moving around within
countries is vital in combating infectious diseases like malaria," said
Andy Tatem, Professor and Director of WorldPop project at the University of
Southampton. "The
parasite which causes the disease can be quickly reintroduced to a malaria-free
area by highly mobile populations," Tatem added.
The map will greatly
aid disease control and elimination planning on global and regional scales, the
study noted. Human mobility may continue to rise and thus create a range of
impacts, such as invasive species, drug resistance spread and disease
pandemics.
Thus, having an
accurate overview of how different regions of countries are connected by human
movement aids effective disease control planning and helps target resources,
such as treated bed nets or community health workers, in the right places, the
researchers said.
The data could
also be used to support regional control and elimination strategies for other
infectious diseases, for example, Schistosomiasis (snail fever), River
Blindness, HIV, Dengue and Yellow Fever, said the paper published in he journal
Scientific Data.
"It's
crucial we understand human mobility, so we can quantify the effect it has on
our societies and the environment and provide strong evidence to support the
development of policies to address issues, such as public health
problems," said lead author Alessandro Sorichetta from the University of
Southampton in Britain.
For the study,
the team sourced the census data from around 40 different countries and have
produced detailed population migration maps on a scale not seen before.
Source: www.thehealthsite.com
24.08.2016
To remember who you are, you need to forget what they
told you to be..
No comments:
Post a Comment