| en |
The Estrada Real project and endemic diseases: the case of schistosomiasis, geoprocessing and tourism
Carvalho, Omar S.; Scholte, Ronaldo G.C.; Guimarães, Ricardo J.P.S.; Freitas, Corina C.; Drummond, Sandra C.; Amaral, Ronaldo S.; Dutra, Luciano V.; Oliveira, Guilherme; Massara, Cristiano L. & Enk, Martin J.
Abstract
Geographical Information System (GIS) is a tool that has recently been applied to better understand spatial dis-
ease distributions. Using meteorological, social, sanitation, mollusc distribution data and remote sensing variables,
this study aimed to further develop the GIS technology by creating a model for the spatial distribution of schisto-
somiasis and to apply this model to an area with rural tourism in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais (MG). The
Estrada Real, covering about 1,400 km, is the largest and most important Brazilian tourism project, involving 163
cities in MG with different schistosomiasis prevalence rates. The model with three variables showed a R2 = 0.34, with
a standard deviation of risk estimated adequate for public health needs. The main variables selected for modelling
were summer vegetation, summer minimal temperature and winter minimal temperature. The results confirmed the
importance of Remote Sensing data and the valuable contribution of GIS in identifying priority areas for
intervention in tourism regions which are endemic to schistosomiasis.
Keywords
Geographic Information System - schistosomiasis - Estrada Real project - control - multiple linear regression
|
