Mapping Historic Hookworm Disease Prevalence in the Southern Us, Comparing Percent Prevalence with Percent Soil Drainage Type Using GIS

Abstract

Mapping of Historic US Hookworm prevalence data from the Rockefeller Sanitary Commission (early 1900s) using current GIS (Geographic Information System) software (county shape files) illustrates the extremely high prevalence of hookworm disease (Uncariasis) in the Southeastern US at the time. Some counties in 7 states recorded 50% to 100% of the population with positive screens for hookworm in a monumental surveillance and treatment campaign. Narrative descriptions mentioned higher prevalence in “sand districts” vs. “clay districts”. In order to validate this description for historic data, further GIS databases (STATSGO) were used to classify and quantify the % acreage in Eastern North Carolina falling into moderately- to well-drained soil types. These were then mapped and compared with the historic prevalence data. Most severely infested counties had at least 50% moderately to well-drained soil. Further analysis on soil data for other states with “coastal plains” could provide more background information on Environmental conditions for hookworm prevalence and distribution in US history.“Since history has no properly scientific value, its only purpose is educative. And if historians neglect to educate the public, if they fail to interest it intelligently in the past, then all their historical learning is valueless except in so far as it educates themselves”. Trevelyan, (1922).