Population Health

December 18, 2019

Precision mapping could help predict infections of a widespread tropical disease

Researchers process the vegetation from a sampling point in northwestern SenegalSatellite images, drone photos and even Google Earth could help identify communities most at risk for getting schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease that is second only to malaria in its global health impact.

A team led by the University of Washington and Stanford University has discovered clues in the environment that help identify transmission hotspots for schistosomiasis.

The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, uses rigorous field sampling and aerial images to precisely map communities that are at greatest risk for schistosomiasis.

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