Quantifying the Impact of Human Mobility on Malaria

• DOI: 10.1126/science.1223467
• Publication Date: 2012-10-11T19:17:15Z
• Authors: Amy Wesolowski; Nathan Eagle; Andrew J. Tatem; David L. Smith; Abdisalan M. Noor; Robert W. Snow; Caroline O. Buckee
• Keywords: Mobile phone; Human settlement

Mobile Phone “Hot Spots” An obstacle to developing effective national malaria control programs is a lack of understanding human movements, which are an important component disease transmission. As mobile phones have become increasingly ubiquitous, it now possible collect individual-level, longitudinal data on movements massive scale. Wesolowski et al. (p. 267 ) analyzed phone call records representing the travel patterns 15 million owners in Kenya over course year. This was combined with detailed risk map, estimate parasite across country that could be caused by movement. information enabled analysis sources and sinks between hundreds local settlements. Estimates were compared hospital from Nairobi show pockets transmission likely occur around periphery Nairobi, accounting for locally acquired cases, contrary accepted idea there no capital.