title: Integrating rapid risk mapping and mobile phone call record data for strategic malaria elimination planning.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  As successful malaria control programmes re-orientate towards elimination, the identification of transmission foci, targeting of attack measures to high-risk areas and management of importation risk become high priorities. When resources are limited and transmission is varying seasonally, approaches that can rapidly prioritize areas for surveillance and control can be valuable, and the most appropriate attack measure for a particular location is likely to differ depending on whether it exports or imports malaria infections.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Here, using the example of Namibia, a method for targeting of interventions using surveillance data, satellite imagery, and mobile phone call records to support elimination planning is described. One year of aggregated movement patterns for over a million people across Namibia are analyzed, and linked with case-based risk maps built on satellite imagery. By combining case-data and movement, the way human population movements connect transmission risk areas is demonstrated. Communities that were strongly connected by relatively higher levels of movement were then identified, and net export and import of travellers and infection risks by region were quantified. These maps can aid the design of targeted interventions to maximally reduce the number of cases exported to other regions while employing appropriate interventions to manage risk in places that import them.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The approaches presented can be rapidly updated and used to identify where active surveillance for both local and imported cases should be increased, which regions would benefit from coordinating efforts, and how spatially progressive elimination plans can be designed. With improvements in surveillance systems linked to improved diagnosis of malaria, detailed satellite imagery being readily available and mobile phone usage data continually being collected by network providers, the potential exists to make operational use of such valuable, complimentary and contemporary datasets on an ongoing basis in infectious disease control and elimination.
authors: Department of Geography and Environment, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK. A.J.Tatem@soton.ac.uk.
authors: Andrew J
authors: AJ
authors: Tatem
authors: Zhuojie
authors: Z
authors: Huang
authors: Clothilde
authors: C
authors: Narib
authors: Udayan
authors: U
authors: Kumar
authors: Deepika
authors: D
authors: Kandula
authors: Deepa K
authors: DK
authors: Pindolia
authors: David L
authors: DL
authors: Smith
authors: Justin M
authors: JM
authors: Cohen
authors: Bonita
authors: B
authors: Graupe
authors: Petrina
authors: P
authors: Uusiku
authors: Christopher
authors: C
authors: Lourenço
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D040421:Cell Phone / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D062665:Epidemiological Monitoring; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008288:Malaria / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009276:Namibia / Q000453:epidemiology; D018570:Risk Assessment; D063809:Satellite Imagery / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019371:Topography, Medical; D014195:Travel; D055815:Young Adult