Urbanization, land tenure security and vector-borne Chagas disease

Abstract

Modern cities represent one of the fastest growing ecosystems on the planet. Urbanization occurs in stages; each stage characterized by a distinct habitat that may be more or less susceptible to the establishment of disease vector populations and the transmission of vector-borne pathogens. We performed longitudinal entomological and epidemiological surveys in households along a 1900 Â 125 m transect of Arequipa, Peru, a major city of nearly one million inhabitants, in which the transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi, the aetiological agent of Chagas disease, by the insect vector Triatoma infestans, is an ongoing problem. The transect spans a cline of urban development from established communities to land invasions. We find that the vector is tracking the development of the city, and the parasite, in turn, is tracking the dispersal of the vector. New urbanizations are free of vector infestation for decades. T. cruzi transmission is very recent and concentrated in more established communities. The increase in land tenure security during the course of urbanization, if not accompanied by reasonable and enforceable zoning codes, initiates an influx of construction materials, people and animals that creates fertile conditions for epidemics of some vector-borne diseases.

Triatoma maculata colonises urban domicilies in Boa Vista, Roraima, Brazil

“…A strong indication of a relationship between pigeons and T. maculata infestation was observed in the urban area of Boa Vista, Roraima, as previously seen by T. infestans in San Juan, Argentina (Vallvé et al 1996), and Arequipa, Peru (Levy et al. 2014).…”

Barriers to dog rabies vaccination during an urban rabies outbreak: Qualitative findings from Arequipa, Peru

“…Given the different characteristics of these areas (topography, migration history, level of urbanization, levels of security and utilization of dogs for companionship vs. protection), it is difficult to justify a one-size-fits-all campaign strategy. The newer peripheral communities we studied in Arequipa are typical of peri-urban areas, a neglected zone in Latin America, Africa, and Asia [75] commonly characterized by inadequate infrastructure, service provision, and land tenure security [38,76]. While most public health campaigns have distinct strategies for urban vs. rural areas; the peri-urban area (or rural-urban interface), one of the fastest growing areas in the world [75], lacks a specific and responsive programmatic approach in Peru and elsewhere.…”

“…The city of Arequipa comprises communities spanning different stages of urbanization and different migration histories, from old established neighborhoods, to young neighborhoods, to recent invasions [48]. Within this gradient of development, young neighborhoods and recent invasions are often located on the periphery of the city (peri-urban area) and the older localities are nearer to the center (urban area) [38]. Compared to the urban area, peri-urban areas generally have lower socioeconomic status, fewer community resources, more security problems, and often more rugged and uneven terrain (Fig 1).…”

Abandonment, Ecological Assembly and Public Health Risks in Counter-Urbanizing Cities

“…Though some features are widely sharedsuch as patchy mixtures of occupied and abandoned structures alongside the emergence of "ruderal" or "spontaneous" vegetation-counter-urbanizing landscapes do not necessarily follow parallel trajectories due to socioeconomic and cultural heterogeneity within and among cities [11,12]. For example, the diversity of tree assemblages has increased in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans (LA, US) due to the rise of invasive species following flooding disturbance and limited landscape management triggered by Hurricane Katrina [9].…”