A graduate student is researching the spread of mosquito vectors and dengue fever into the southern United States.She has collected a substantial amount of data regarding the locations where the vector has been detected as well as the incidence of the dengue fever virus in both the vector population and in humans.What application would enable her to effectively illustrate patterns of vector and disease spread?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are particularly useful for mapping the spread of vector-borne diseases. GIS can combine data on vector and disease occurrence with other geographic variables such as climate and land use to identify patterns of disease transmission. This makes it a powerful tool for predicting and preventing further spread of the disease. Remote sensing can also be helpful in gathering data on environmental variables, but it is not as well-suited for mapping disease spread as GIS. DNA microarrays and fingerprinting are not relevant for this type of research.

A Graduate Student Is Researching the Spread of Mosquito Vectors