Identification of risk areas for arboviruses using traps for adults of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus and remote sensing images

Abstract

The current epidemiological scenario in Brazil is worrisome, as in recent years thousands cases of dengue, zika and chikungunya have been reported, in addition to the recent re-emergence of yellow fever. The Aedes aegypti mosquito plays a fundamental role in the dissemination of all these diseases. The role of its sister species, Aedes albopictus, is still little known in Brazil, but may have a major future epidemiological impact. There is great difficulty in identifying arboviruses risk areas based only on the entomological indicators traditionally used in control programs, such as Breteau, Predial and Container indices. There are few studies that relate the presence of the adult mosquito with the direct occurrence of arbovirus cases and physical characteristics of the sites of the diseases. Thus, we propose to elaborate a model to detect areas of high risk for dengue, zika and chikungunya based on the presence of adult mosquitoes Ae. aegypti and remote sensing images. We can benefit from the use of satellite imagery and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to acquire high quality aerial images that accurately report the physical characteristics of the sites with the presence of the vectors and with cases of arboviruses. The methodology developed here will allow the risk areas for the presence of Ae. aegypti and for the occurrence of these arboviruses are identified based only on the consultation of satellite images and orthophotos, allowing them to be prioritized by health services and control for the development of surveillance measures. In addition, we propose to evaluate the distribution and abundance of Ae. albopictus in the areas with presence of cases of the three arboviruses.