Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2015
College/Unit
Statler College of Engineering and Mining Resources
Department/Program/Center
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Abstract
West Nile virus (WNV), mosquito-borne and water-based disease, is increasingly a global threat to public health. Since its appearance in the northeastern United States in 1999, WNV has since been reported in several states in the continental United States. The objective of this study is to highlight role of hydroclimatic processes estimated through satellite sensors in capturing conditions for emergence of the vectors in historically disease free regions. We tested the hypothesis that an increase in surface temperature, in combination with intensification of vegetation, and enhanced precipitation, lead to conditions favorable for vector (mosquito) growth. Analysis of land surface temperature (LST) pattern shows that temperature values >16°C, with heavy precipitation, may lead to abundance of the mosquito population. This hypothesis was tested in West Virginia where a sudden epidemic of WNV infection was reported in 2012. Our results emphasize the value of hydroclimatic processes estimated by satellite remote sensing, as well as continued environmental surveillance of mosquitoes, because when a vector-borne infection like WNV is discovered in contiguous regions, the risk of spread of WNV mosquitoes increase at points where appropriate hydroclimatic processes intersect with the vector niche.
Digital Commons Citation
Jutla, Antarpreet; Huq, Anwar; and Colwell, Rita R., "Diagnostic approach for monitoring hydroclimatic conditions related to emergence of West Nile virus in West Virginia" (2015). Faculty & Staff Scholarship. 2336.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/faculty_publications/2336
Source Citation
Jutla, A., Huq, A., & Colwell, R. R. (2015). Diagnostic Approach for Monitoring Hydroclimatic Conditions Related to Emergence of West Nile Virus in West Virginia. Frontiers in Public Health, 3. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2015.00010
Comments
© 2015 Jutla, Huq and Colwell. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.