Jake Simon
EM SC 100S
Section 4
8 September 2011
GIS in Zoonotic Infectious Disease
Geographic Information Systems are used around the globe to help display data
efficiently. GIS technology is used to show a lot of information ranging from population
and statistical data to topographic records and meteorological material. Over the past
decade, GIS technology has been used more often because of its increase in efficiency.
Early GIS technology was not only hard to observe, but hard to interpret and later
communicate. Now, GIS is used across all fields of science to help further learn and
investigate data. Although used to detect many different scientific variables, GIS is being
used more for specifically mapping the spread of infectious diseases.
Infectious Disease is seen throughout the world and being able to track it can
eventually lead to being able to predict the spread. The ultimate goal is to eradicate any
infectious disease. The only way to help abolish the spread of a disease would be to
proficiently track and predict where it will go next. Without GIS technology preventing
the spread of any infectious disease would not be possible. GIS technology is useful for
showing given information regarding diseases on a map. With any infectious disease
case, data needs to be understandable for the Department of Disease Control to decipher.
There are various forms of infectious diseases throughout the world, some that are
not even known, and displaying the categorical and quantitative data on a map helps to
show the spread of the infectious disease. Diseases may be transferred from personperson contact or animal-person interaction. Zoonotic diseases occur exclusively when a
disease is transmitted from an animal to a human. The desire to study the spread of
infectious diseases caused by animals has increased because, “nearly 70 percent of
emerging infectious disease episodes during the past 10 years have been zoonotic
diseases” (Potter).
There are many types of zoonotic diseases ranging from rabies to ringworm. Each
disease in their own form takes on many different varieties.
In the past two years, the most well known zoonotic disease has been H1N1,
commonly called the “swine flu.” This infectious disease was spread throughout the
world and GIS technology made it possible to effectively track it. However, this was not
the first time that GIS technology was efficient in tracking the spread of diseases. First
done by John Snow in 1854 to track the spread of Cholera, GIS was used to map the
disease throughout the SoHo district of London. Snow was able to map death tolls due to
Cholera to effectively determine where the disease came from. Many people during this
time thought that the disease initiated from “bad air” rising from graves in the area. Since
the city was built on cemeteries that housed bodies from the Black Plague. Through his
research and mapping skills, Snow ultimate
showed the spread was through the water
pumps.
Unlike Cholera, the H1N1 virus was
tracked using an interactive module online
through ‘FluTracker.’ This GIS tracking device
efficiently showed cases of the swine flu and
even the magnitude of each case.
SOURCE: Lang, Jinlong. "A GIS Approach to Track H1N1."
Geography GIS. Penn State, n.d. Web. 5 Sept. 2011.
From the data collected, it was easily seen where there was a large outbreak of
the disease. The ‘FluTracker’ map accurately shows the distribution of the H1N1 virus
cases throughout each major region in the United States. (Lang)
Each specific region contains its own data, which is displayed neatly on the map.
The data includes suspected, confirmed and fatal cases throughout the continental United
States.
Similar to any technology, emerging GIS is both beneficial and ineffective in
early detection of zoonotic diseases. For ‘FluTracker’ in specific, the data is easily
comprehensible through a legend, which helps to display the data. Although the data is
easy to grasp, with every GIS technology there are always minor errors that are inevitable
due to mistakes in calculations or inaccuracies in data. The data represented in this
specific Geographic Information System is untimely due to minor time lags between
infections and symptoms. Time lags may include cases that are not reported fast enough,
which means not all cases would be included in analysis. Other obstacles or errors may
include mild cases that are just not reported because the data seems too insignificant or
cases that are misdiagnosed.
Unlike tracking diseases transmitted from human to another human, animal to
human transmission is much harder to track. A new approach is underway regarding
tracking animals with infectious diseases. Similar to ‘tagging’ and other forms of tracking
animals, new global tracking systems are in affect to pinpoint exact locations of animals
with a given disease. The American Veterinary Medical Association and the American
Medical Association are working together to try and digitize the spread of many
infectious diseases that are spread through animals. It is extremely complicated to track
animals that are constantly moving around, but this new technology would “establish a
global surveillance systems…to allow better collaboration of human and animal heath
problems…resulting in improved detection of diseases” (“Global Tracking”).
The surveillance systems are very complex and can adequately track infections
when used correctly. By tagging animals that have symptoms of a disease, the GIS
technology is able to plot data on different layers. The information can show where these
animals are coming from and, more importantly, where they are heading. The GIS is
integrated into the map system because each layer is used individually to show specific
data but when all layers are added together, they form very easy-to-read information.
Very similar to the outbreak of H1N1 throughout the world in 2009, another
zoonotic disease that incorporates GIS tracking technology is the tracking of malaria.
Malaria is defined as a parasitic disease transmitted from a female mosquito into the red
blood cells of a human being. Comparable to the H1N1 pandemic, malaria is also known
for infecting many people. According to Pennsylvania State University’s Entomology
Department, “malaria is one of the most important zoonotic diseases globally, infecting
between 200 and 500 million people and killing more than a million each year” (Cui).
The ability for GIS technology to use spatial and topographical information to
analyze data helps make tracking the spread of malaria possible.
As seen in the map, countries that
have areas where malaria is endemic show
that the prevalence of malaria is in third
world countries. As seen, Malaria is not
common in the United States, mainly
SOURCE: WHO, Malaria Dept. Malaria Cases per Country.
Map.
because there are vaccines available, but in third-world counties immunizations are not
readily available to its citizens.
In order to control the outbreak of malaria, scientists must first be able to see where the
disease is spreading. Once given the magnitude of the epidemic, scientists then use GIS
technology to plan out where clinics should be placed.
The map to the left is based on
case studies done for malaria,
and shows that the total cases of
malaria are decreasing in the
area of Ghana, West Africa. This
SOURCE: Ashanti Anglogold. Total Malaria Cases. Map.
Sustainability Review, 2009. Print.
decrease is mostly due to the
increase of clinic sites. Maps showing the extent of the disease make it clear to interpret
where clinics would relieve the majority of people affected.
In conclusion, tracking infectious zoonotic diseases spread would not be possible
if it were not for the use of Geographic Information Systems. Being able to interpret large
amounts of data and display them on an organized map helps to track a disease. Zoonotic
diseases such as the H1N1 pandemic and malaria outbreaks are tracked using the GIS
technology so they can ultimately be eliminated. The interest in this field is increasing
because in the future, GIS technology will not only be able to organize data and predict
the spread of any infectious diseases, but will also be able to cure and eradicate them.
Jake Simon
EM SC 100S
Section 4
8 September 2011
Bibliography
Ashanti Anglogold. Total Malaria Cases. Map. Sustainability Review, 2009. Print.
Cui, Liwang. "Malaria Research ." Penn State Entomology . N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Sept. 2011.
<ento.psu.edu/m/directory/research-issues/malaria-research)>.
"Global Tracking System for Zoonotic Diseases." The American Veterinary Medical
Association. American Medical Association, n.d. Web. 7 Sept. 2011.
Lang, Jinlong. "A GIS Approach to Track H1N1." Geography GIS. Penn State, n.d. Web.
5 Sept. 2011.
Potter, Tiffany. "GIS to Assist in Early Detection of Infectious Diseases." Scientific
Technology Corporation. HealthyGIS, Web. 3 Sept. 2011.
WHO, Malaria Dept. Malaria Cases per Country. Map.