Predicting Dengue Transmission in a Changing Climate to Improve Mosquito Control

Dengue and other Aedes aegypti mosquito-borne illnesses like Zika and chikungunya are serious public health concerns in the worlds tropics. Improved mosquito control could dramatically reduce the prevalence of these diseases, but due to a lack of surveillance data, efforts to reduce mosquitos are currently inefficient and poorly targeted. To promote better understanding of the links between climate, mosquito abundance, and dengue infections, this project will develop improved models that use satellite imagery to predict the climate suitability for dengue transmission. With this new information, the project can inform current decision-making procedures on where to spend limited resources for mosquito control such as insecticides and help reduce transmission of the disease.

Principal Investigators:

Erin Mordecai Assistant Professor of Biology

Desiree LaBeaud Professor of Pediatrics

Eric Lambin George and Setsuko Ishiyama Provostial Professor and Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment