Measles and Satellites

Epidemiology struggles with lack of transparency of environmental factors and their interaction with health. The spread of measles is no different. Scientists are looking at trends to predict outbreaks of the disease and in turn be prepared to control it. Specifically scientists from Penn State and the University of Florida are looking into the seasonal flow of the outbreaks in the at the capital of Niger, Niamey.

What is most difficult in these cases is the lack of data surrounding variables in the outbreaks. Their hypothesis was based on a variable not easily measurable- the influx of seasonal migrants and it’s correlation with the outbreaks. They decided to use satellite images of nighttime lights to demonstrate that the more light sources, the more people were present in the city. “The research team found that there were 11,000 to 17,000 more young children present in the city during the outbreak than had originally been estimated” so too few children were vaccinated to effectively slow the spread of disease. Getting creative with the already present data is a way in which we can tap into unproven potential of any source. This can help understand the world around us and create more insights to prevent terrible disease outbreaks like measles.

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