Predicting Outbreak of Vector-Borne Diseases

Challenge

To better understand and model the timing and extent of vector-borne disease outbreaks. For example, viruses propagated by mosquitos to humans cause an estimated 400-million dengue infections annually.

Solution

Weather, Climate, & Health
NCAR, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is addressing diseases such as dengue, meningitis, plague, and West Nile.

Scientists are developing scalable, transferable methodologies that quantitatively and qualitatively link high-resolution socio-economic, health, and behavioral data with geophysical data from global climate and mesoscale weather models to better understand the complex interactions among climate processes, ecosystems, and health.

Benefits

The ability to predict when and where outbreaks will occur would help allocate limited public health resources. This research is leading to better placement of care givers and medicines to reduce illness and fatalities.

Contact

Please direct questions/comments about this page to:

Scott Swerdlin

Director, National Security Applications Program

email