Mapping Intersection of Water, Climate and Disease Transmission

This project will explore the links between livelihood adaptations among two subsistence populations to the increasing aridity of southern Africa and the resulting changes to the epidemiology of infectious disease. While the link between climate and infectious disease may not be obvious, epidemiological contacts are mediated by mobility, and mobility, in turn, is driven by livelihood adaptation in subsistence populations. Water security is a central facet of livelihood and a key determinant of mobility so understanding the distribution, abundance, and quality of water resources if crucial for understanding adaptation. We will combine detailed ethnographic and epidemiological fieldwork with sophisticated remote sensing of water resources to help us understand the relationships between climate, water availability, mobility, and disease transmission. Simulation models will provide us a powerful tool for exploring future climate-change scenarios while the maps we generate will help government ministries and NGOs develop combined economic and epidemiological interventions. Furthermore, we will pilot a novel solution for providing treatment for infections in remote, highly rural populations using the drones that helped us map water resources.