Browsing by Author "Lemessa, Alemayehu"

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    Gis and Remote Sensing Based Malaria Risk Mapping in Fentale Woreda, East Shoa Zone, Ethiopia.
    (Addis Ababa Universty, 2011-03) Lemessa, Alemayehu; Suryabhagavan, K.V. (PhD)
    Malaria is caused by infection of red blood cells with protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium. The parasites are inoculated into the human host by a feeding female anopheline mosquito. The objective of this study was to map malaria risk levels associated with each area in Fentale Woreda, East Shoa Zone, Ethiopia. Within the last decade, malaria cases in the study area started to decrease with some irregularities during occasions of epidemics. But still malaria is among the ten top diseases responsible for morbidity and mortality next to upper respiratory tract infection at this area. Climatic and topography factors, population density, land-use land-cover and proximity related factors (distance from rivers, irrigation canals, and lakes) are known to have strong influence on the biology of mosquitoes. Geographic Information System and Remote Sensing were used to investigate associations between such variables of malaria supporting factors and the distribution of the vector mosquito responsible for malaria transmission. The study used weighted overlay technique of multi-criteria evaluation in ArcGIS environment to come up with the final malaria risk map. Climate and topography factors malaria risk map of Fentale woreda indicated that majority of the study area (99.7%) fell under high malaria risk level. Regarding proximity related factors 7.3%, 53%, and 39.7% of the woreda was under high, medium and low malaria risk levels, respectively. Malaria risk map of the study area indicated that there is no area within Fentale Woreda with malaria free risk level. Almost all areas fell under malaria risk levels of high (7%) and moderate (93%). Kebelewise about 81% of the area which constitute about 17 kebeles fell in the moderate malaria risk level. The other 19% occupied by 4 kebeles were associated with high malaria risk level. Hence, malaria risk mapping using geographic information system and remote sensing is a worthwhile technique to produce malaria risk map of a particular area which show areas under different malaria risk levels which in turn make malaria control and prevention system cost effective, not time taking, easily manageable and sustainable. Keywords: Malaria, GIS, Remote Sensing, and Multi-Criteria-Evaluation