Last Updated: 27/06/2024

Diagnosing fevers better: Improving diagnosis of febrile illnesses by uniting disease ecology and satellite imagery

Objectives

The aim of this project is to employ involved advanced spatial modelling, to develop high-resolution habitat maps for the mosquito vectors that transmit malaria and arboviruses (specifically dengue fever and chikungunya).

Principal Investigators / Focal Persons

Rachelle Desrochers

Rationale and Abstract

A lack of diagnostic tools and skills in Tanzanian health facilities are blamed for widespread malaria misdiagnosis, which fails the patient’s need, wastes precious resources and contributes to drug resistance. As many as 45% of arboviral infections in the country are misdiagnosed as malaria.  Automatically updated local estimates of the relative transmission risk of malaria and arboviral infections, delivered via mobile phone text messages to rural health workers, will help to better inform clinical diagnoses.

Date

Mar 2014 — Dec 2015

Project Site

Tanzania

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