Socio-demographic determinants of Malaria in highly infected rural areas: Regional influential assessment using GIS

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.