Vibrio cholerae bacteria. Source: Kirn et al. (2000).
From Science Daily:
Cholera outbreaks may soon be predicted using satellite sensors, paving the way for preemptive medicine in countries that suffer epidemics…
Speaking at a meeting of the Society for General Microbiology, Rita Colwell, former director of the National Science Foundation, describes how satellite sensors can be used to monitor sea surface height and temperature — two factors shown to be related to cholera outbreaks. With the ability to predict comes the ability to preempt.
HT: War and Health
[...] Another innovative use of remote sensing for a public health prevention intervention: Scientists are looking to outer space for help in their attempt to prevent new outbreaks of the tropical disease schistosomiasis in southern China. Once the Three Gorges Dam is fully operational, researchers plan to use satellite data from space to determine whether changing water conditions in Poyang Lake, China’s largest freshwater lake, create favorable conditions for the snails associated with the chronic disease that can damage internal organs and impair growth and cognitive development in children. [...]