The Asian Tiger Mosquito, Aedes albopictus, can serve as a vector for dengue fever virus and in recent decades this species greatly expanded its geographic range throughout the Northeastern United States. A. albopictus range expansion in Pennsylvania along with imported cases of dengue fever among individuals that contracted the virus while traveling abroad may enable local transmission outbreaks. My work is centered on A. albopictus occurrence and range expansion in Pennsylvania from 2001-2010 as well as the modeling of dengue fever virus transmission probabilities and combining these with imported cases of dengue fever to create a dengue fever risk index. This work adds a crucial component to dengue fever risk evaluations and aids public health officials in preventative efforts to reduce risk and prevent further A. albopictus range expansion.
Preliminary results were presented at the U.S. International Association of Landscape Ecology Annual Symposium in Anchorage Alaska on May 19th, 2014 with financial support from a NASA-Michigan State University Professional Enhancement Award and from Penn State.
Preliminary results were presented at the U.S. International Association of Landscape Ecology Annual Symposium in Anchorage Alaska on May 19th, 2014 with financial support from a NASA-Michigan State University Professional Enhancement Award and from Penn State.
Protected areas (PAs) shape many biophysical and social factors related to malaria prevalence such as land-use/land-cover, biodiversity, socioeconomic conditions, and human behavior. However, despite global exponential growth in the number and extent of PAs, their role within malaria dynamics remains unclear. My work seeks to determine the extent to which PAs control Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) malaria prevalence within nearby human populations throughout sub-Saharan Africa. By quantifying the relationship between malaria prevalence and PAs, this work will guide proactive management decisions to address and reduce malaria prevalence within and surrounding PAs.
Links to media coverage of research:
U.S. Association For Landscape Ecology Student Highlight
National Science Foundation Polaris Project Research Highlight
National Science Foundation Polaris Project Blog Post
Colgate University Alumni Memorial Scholar Research News Article
Colgate University Alumni Memorial Scholar Profile
U.S. Association For Landscape Ecology Student Highlight
National Science Foundation Polaris Project Research Highlight
National Science Foundation Polaris Project Blog Post
Colgate University Alumni Memorial Scholar Research News Article
Colgate University Alumni Memorial Scholar Profile