Localization of kala-azar in the endemic region of Bihar, India based on land use/land cover assessment at different scales

• Main Authors: Gouri S. Bhunia, Shreekant Kesari, Nandini Chatterjee, Vijay Kumar, Pradeep Das
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: PAGEPress Publications 2012-05-01
• Series: Geospatial Health
• Subjects: Kala-azar, remote sensing, spatial scale, land use/land cover, India.
• Online Access: http://www.geospatialhealth.net/index.php/gh/article/view/136

Land cover, a critical variable in the epidemiology of kala-azar, can be remotely characterized by customizing and integrating “state-of-the-art” imagery at different spatial scales from different sensors onboard satellites. A study was conducted at four levels (national, state, district and village) investigating the role of land use/land cover (LULC) for leishmaniasis transmission resulting in a framework highlighting the links between LULC and areas endemic for the disease. Distribution maps were analysed by a probabilistic approach (Bayesian classifier) which produced a set of “suitability estimates” based on the probability of sand fly presence. The development of a sound knowledge of each link in the predicted sequence of satellite views offering an extraordinary opportunity to support the mapping of kala-azar endemicity and stratification of areas suitable for sand fly habitats across the country as well as at the local scale.