Vector Borne Disease Ecology and Environment: Remote Sensing and GIS for Control and Management: A Systematic Review

Abstract

The prevalence of vector borne disease epidemics are influenced by the thickness of the vectors persistent to climate, landscape, and environment. Historically evidenced of triggering epidemics in both vertical magnitude and horizontal spread (spatial diffusion) of increasing vector borne diseases, such as; malaria, dengue, chikungunya, Japanese encephalitis, filariasis, leishmaniases, scrub typhus, Kyasanur forest disease (KFD), West Nile virus, Lyme disease, Zika virus, and Rift valley fever in the tropical and subtropical regions, particularly, in the third world countries for the past several decades. The geographical analysis of each one VBD epidemics has a unique vector ecology and environment. The prevalence of epidemic distribution patterns and seasonal variations, and associated vector ecology were analyzed throughout the world for the past periods, in order to assess the probability of potential risk and delineate the hotspot regions susceptible to the VBD outbreaks in the country, using Remote Sensing and GIS mapping analysis. It offers a quick and efficient approach to mapping of land uses/land cover patterns and its changes over space and time, and the information on these changes linking with vector profusion and disease ecology. Vector-borne disease epidemics across the country have been evidently associated with climate factors, landscape changes, potential breeding sources; such as, water bodies, rivers, streams, and mega water resource irrigation projects, dams / reservoirs, water pools, lakes, urban agglomerations, Urban sprawl, urban dynamics, industrial developments and growths, floating population, urban migration, land use / land cover changes, wet irrigation agriculture practices, seasonal migrations on occupation, cargo  shipping movements, trade and commerce, etc., and have been acted upon changing the  aboriginal territories by extent of epidemic scenarios into the non-endemic regions. The integrated Earth Observation Resource Satellite data integrated with GIS has effectiveness upon proved to disease mapping, ecological niche modeling, risk assessment, spatial prediction, and offering answers to both the public health programmers and research scientists concerned on vector fecundity, and vector borne disease ecology, and thus, the geographical, ecological and environmental determinants of its range is considered to be essential for sustainable public health planning. Accordingly, prevention measures and appropriate control strategy may possibly be applied during the sporadic outbreaks situations in the new epidemic regions as well in the hot spot endemic regions regularly, so as to control the erratic transmission and prevent acceleration of epidemics early in advance successfully.