Integrating land cover and terrain characteristics to explain plague risks in Western Usambara Mountains, Tanzania: a geospatial approach
Loading...
Date
2014-07
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Tanzania Journal of Health Research
Abstract
Literature suggests that higher resolution remote sensing data integrated in Geographic
Information System (GIS) can provide greater possibility to refine the analysis of land cover and terrain
characteristics for explanation of abundance and distribution of plague hosts and vectors and hence of
health risk hazards to humans. These technologies are not widely used in East Africa for studies on diseases
including plague. The objective of this study was to refine the analysis of single and combined land cover
and terrain characteristics in order to gain an insight into localized plague infection risks in the West
Usambara Mountains in north-eastern Tanzania. The study used a geospatial approach to assess the
influence of land cover and terrain factors on the abundance and spatial distribution of plague hosts (small
mammals) and plague vectors (fleas). It considered different levels of scale and resolution. Boosted
Regression Tree (BRT) statistical method was used to clarify the relationships between land cover and
terrain variables with small mammals and fleas. Results indicate that elevation positively influenced the
presence of small mammals. The presence of fleas was clearly influenced by land management features
such as miraba. Medium to high resolution remotely sensed data integrated in a GIS have been found to be
quite useful in this type of analysis. These findings contribute to efforts on plague surveillance and
awareness creation among communities on the probable risks associated with various landscape factors
during epidemics.
Description
Keywords
land cover, remote sensing, GIS, small mammals, fleas, Plague, Tanzania
Citation
Tanzania Journal of Health Research Volume 16, Number 3, July 2014