Analysis of Malaria Cases in Bangladesh With Remote Sensing Data

Abstract

Epidemiologic data of malaria cases were correlated with satellite-based vegetation health (VH) indices to investigate if they can be used as proxy for monitoring malaria epidemics in Bangladesh. The VH indices were represented by the vegetation condition index (VCI) and the temperature condition index (TCI). The VCI and TCI estimate moisture and thermal conditions, respectively. Sensitivity of VCI and TCI was assessed using correlation and regression analysis. During cooler months (November-March) when mosquitoes are less active, the correlation was low. It increased considerably during the warm and wet season (April-October), reaching 0.7 for the TCI in early October and -0.66 for the VCI in mid September.

Using AVHRR-Based Vegetation Health Indices For Estimation Of Potato Yield In Bangladesh

“…The Vegetation Condition Index (VCI) characterizes plant greenness and the Temperature Condition Index (TCI) characterizes surface temperature. The TCI and VCI indices are scaled to range from 0 (severe vegetation stress) to 100 (exceptionally favorable conditions) [6,8].…”

Application of Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR)-based Vegetation Health Indices for Estimation of Malaria Cases

“…During the wet season, the maximum temperature can reach 30°C or above. 1,9 Variation in monthly rainfall between dry and wet months is the main influence on mosquito activity. In summer, the wet, warm, and humid climate is quite favorable for mosquito activity and produces an increase in the number of malaria cases.…”

“…19 All three indices are scaled to range from 0 (severe vegetation stress -low NDVI, hot BT) to 100 (exceptionally favorable conditions -high NDVI, cool BT). 1,20 The GVI data set processed at 16 km 2 spatial resolution and weekly time resolution was averaged over land pixels in Bandarban, Bangladesh. …”

“…1 Correlation and regression analyses were used to build a predictive model using satellite remote sensing data. In this work, we extend the malaria and satellite series to 14 years, focus on a single district, investigate principal component regression for building a more robust estimator model, and quantify model skill using leave-one-out cross-validation.…”

“…Economists believe that vector-borne diseases are responsible for an economic growth penalty of up to 1.3% per year. 1 The risk of contracting malaria in endemic areas deters investment, which has negative impact on economic productivity.…”