Xue Z., Gebremichael M., Ahmad R., Weldu M.L., Bagtzoglou A.C.
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States; Department of Biology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Xue, Z., Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States; Gebremichael, M., Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States; Ahmad, R., Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States; Weldu, M.L., Department of Biology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Bagtzoglou, A.C., Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States
Objective To assess the suitability of satellite temperature and precipitation datasets for investigating the dependence of Schistosoma mansoni disease transmission on meteorological conditions in an irrigated agricultural region in Ethiopia. Methods Data used were monthly number of patients infected with S. mansoni and seeking treatment at the local hospital, monthly maximum air temperature from a local weather station, monthly average land surface temperature from MODIS satellite data, monthly total precipitation from a local rain gauge and precipitation estimates from four widely used satellite products, namely, TMPA 3B42RT, TMPA 3B42, CMORPH and PERSIANN. The number of patients was used as proxy for vector abundance. Results Temperature and precipitation play a role in the transmission of S. mansoni disease. There is a weak but significant positive correlation between monthly maximum air temperature derived from a meteorological station (or average land surface temperature derived from MODIS satellite product) and the number of patients in the same month. There is a significant negative correlation between monthly precipitation volume (derived from rain gauge or satellite data) and number of patients at lags of 1 and 2 months. Conclusion Satellite temperature and precipitation products provide useful information to understand and infer the relationship between meteorological conditions and S. mansoni prevalence. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
agricultural land; air temperature; data set; disease transmission; health impact; land surface; MODIS; precipitation (climatology); raingauge; satellite data; schistosomiasis; surface temperature; temperature effect; volume; weather station; adolescent; air temperature; article; child; correlation analysis; disease transmission; enteropathy; Ethiopia; female; human; irrigation (agriculture); major clinical study; male; meteorology; precipitation; preschool child; Schistosoma mansoni; schistosomiasis; school child; telecommunication; weather; Adult; Agricultural Irrigation; Animals; Climate; Ethiopia; Female; Fresh Water; Geographic Information Systems; Humans; Male; Rain; Rural Population; Satellite Communications; Schistosoma mansoni; Schistosomiasis mansoni; Statistics, Nonparametric; Temperature; Topography, Medical; Ethiopia; Schistosoma mansoni