About
Zoonotic and vector-borne diseases (ZVBD) are major causes of morbidity and mortality globally. Landscape changes, such as deforestation and agricultural expansion, drive ZVBD spillover and transmission. However, despite extensive research on risk factors, landscape data rarely informs disease surveillance and disease risks are not considered in land planning decisions.
The SENSOR project aims to develop enhanced surveillance methods uniquely combining environmental and health data to detect, monitor and predict disease spillover and transmission.
Research is funded through a 5-year grant, awarded by the Sir Henry Dale Fellowship and jointly funded by the Royal Society and the Wellcome Trust.
Objectives & Activities
SENSOR will focus on zoonotic and vector-borne diseases, including knowlesi malaria, dengue and emerging arboviruses (e.g. Chikungunya and Zika). We will conduct a series of interlinked activities in Sabah, Malaysia and Palawan, The Philippines to understand how to better control and detect these diseases.
We will investigate:
- How do short-term landscape changes impact fine-scale ecological (e.g. vector and wildlife distribution, hydrology) and human (e.g. mobility, immunity, healthcare access) determinants of ZVBD dynamics?
- How do longer-term climate and demographic changes interact with socio-ecological landscape changes to influence population-level ZVBD risks?
- What land use and development strategies reduce risks for ZVBD spillover and sustained transmission?
Results will have immediate relevance for reduction of major health burdens in Southeast Asia.
Key activities will include:
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Integrated environmental surveillance and cohort survey at the SAFE Project, Tawau
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Large-scale cross-sectional serological surveys to understand population level risks
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Predict and identify early warning signals to minimise disease risks
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Evaluate environmentally targeted risk-based surveillance approaches to identify spillover events and spatiotemporal patterns of disease