title: Vectorborne diseases in West Africa: geographic distribution and geospatial characteristics.
abstract: This paper provides an overview of the methods in which geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) technology have been used to visualise and analyse data related to vectorborne diseases (VBD) in West Africa and to discuss the potential for these approaches to be routinely included in future studies of VBDs. GIS/RS studies of diseases that are associated with a specific geographic landscape were reviewed, including malaria, human African trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis, lymphatic filariasis, Loa loa filariasis, onchocerciasis, Rift Valley fever, dengue, yellow fever, borreliosis, rickettsioses, Buruli ulcer and Q fever. RS data and powerful spatial modelling methods improve our understanding of how environmental factors affect the vectors and transmission of VBDs. There is great potential for the use of GIS/RS technologies in the surveillance, prevention and control of vectorborne and other infectious diseases in West Africa.
authors.affiliation: Aix Marseille Université, URMITE, UMR CNRS 7278, IRD 198, INSERM 1095, 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13385 Marseille cedex 05, France.
authors.forename: Pavel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ratmanov
authors.forename: Oleg
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Mediannikov
authors.forename: Didier
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Raoult
mesh_terms: D000354:Africa, Western / Q000453:epidemiology; D000818:Animals; D054312:Buruli Ulcer / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003715:Dengue / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D004199:Disease Vectors; D005368:Filariasis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D040362:Geographic Information Systems / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007896:Leishmaniasis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D008288:Malaria / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D011778:Q Fever / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D058998:Remote Sensing Technology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012295:Rift Valley Fever / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D014353:Trypanosomiasis, African / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D015004:Yellow Fever / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control