The Peruvian Amazon has been subjected to deforestation caused in large part by road construction, which opens up previously inaccessible areas to farming, logging, and cattle ranching. Simultaneously, the area has seen a sharp rise in malaria incidence, increasing fifty-fold from 1987 to 1997, and an invasion by South America’s major malaria vector, Anopheles darlingi. We are currently collecting Anopheline adults and larvae in order to better understand the environmental determinants that favor A. darlingi breeding and proliferation. Field data is being compared across four different land use categories to determine the relationship between the extent of deforestation and entomological risk factors for malaria. Preliminary analysis indicates that there is a positive correlation between A. darlingi abundance and deforestation, controlling for seasonality and distance from the river. These preliminary results are consistent with the theory that ecological disturbance from deforestation is contributing to an increase in the risk of malaria in the Amazon region. See www.jhsph.edu/globalchange
Learning Objectives: NA
Keywords: Climate Change, Infectious Diseases
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Handout (.pdf format, 566.4 kb)