Helen da Costa Gurgel

Land cover, land use and malaria in the Amazon: a systematic literature review of studies using remotely sensed data

The nine countries sharing the Amazon forest accounted for 89% of all malaria cases reported in the Americas in 2008. Remote sensing can help identify the environmental determinants of malaria transmission and their temporo-spatial evolution. Seventeen studies characterizing land cover or land use features, and relating them to malaria in the Amazon subregion, were identified. These were reviewed in order to improve the understanding of the land cover/use class roles in malaria transmission. The indicators affecting the transmission risk were summarized in terms of temporal components, landscape fragmentation and anthropic pressure. This review helps to define a framework for future studies aiming to characterize and monitor malaria.

Wetlands and Malaria in the Amazon: Guidelines for the Use of Synthetic Aperture Radar Remote-Sensing

The prevention and control of mosquito-borne diseases, such as malaria, are important health issues in tropical areas. Malaria transmission is a multi-scale process strongly controlled by environmental factors, and the use of remote-sensing data is suitable for the characterization of its spatial and temporal dynamics. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is well-adapted to tropical areas, since it is capable of imaging independent of light and weather conditions. In this study, we highlight the contribution of SAR sensors in the assessment of the relationship between vectors, malaria and the environment in the Amazon region. More specifically, we focus on the SAR-based characterization of potential breeding sites of mosquito larvae, such as man-made water collections and natural wetlands, providing guidelines for the use of SAR capabilities and techniques in order to optimize vector control and malaria surveillance. In light of these guidelines, we propose a framework for the production of spatialized indicators and malaria risk maps based on the combination of SAR, entomological and epidemiological data to support malaria risk prevention and control actions in the field.

Dinâmica espacial de nascidos vivos e óbitos infantis nas regiões de saúde do Distrito Federal em 2012

Health has a strong relationship with income, that is, social inequalities are a result of peoples living conditions, aware of the risks and resources that can also be distributed disproportionately due to their positions in society. For this reason, some indicators are analyzed to provide support for decisionmaking in actions of a health nature and in the formulation of public policies, since they may have implications in the application. The research developed has a descriptive character, with the objective of analyzing the behavior of the infants and infant deaths established in the Federal District and mapping the pendular migration of the mothers through geospatial tools. At the national level, fertility was reduced, although the mortality rate still remained high. At the same time, there was an increase in income and a decrease in the illiteracy rate. In DF, the best IDH in the country was found, although the highest Gini index, as effect, lower fertility rates and infant mortality, and higher income inequality. This allowed the division of two realities into their context. On the one hand, a scenario of development of a specific population and, consequently, a better health situation. On the other hand, there is a lack of maternal care services, resulting in displacements and showing the asymmetries in health in the DF, determined by the structure of the society in which they are inserted.