Interactive
maps can guide surveillance efforts, protect human health
Date: March 19, 2019
Source: Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies
In the
Americas, primate species likely to harbor Zika -- and potentially transmit the
virus -- are common, abundant, and often live near people. So reports a new
study published today in Epidemics. Findings are based on an innovative
model developed by a collaborative team of researchers from Cary Institute of
Ecosystem Studies and IBM Research through its Science for Social Good
initiative.
Lead
author Barbara Han, a disease ecologist at Cary Institute, explains: "When
modeling disease systems, data gaps can undermine our ability to predict where
people are at risk. Globally, only two primate species have been confirmed
positive for Zika virus. We were interested in how a marriage of two modeling
techniques could help us overcome limited data on primate biology and ecology
-- with the goal of identifying surveillance priorities."
The
recent Zika epidemic in the Americas was one of the largest outbreaks in modern
times, infecting over half a million people. Like other mosquito-borne
flaviviruses, Zika circulates in the wild. Primates can serve as disease
reservoirs of spillover infection in regions where mosquitoes feed on both
primates and people.
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