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Impact of Land-use Change on Dengue and Malaria in Northern Thailand

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Abstract

Land-use change, a major constituent of global environmental change, potentially has significant consequences for human health in relation to mosquito-borne diseases. Land-use change can influence mosquito habitat, and therefore the distribution and abundance of vectors, and land use mediates human–mosquito interactions, including biting rate. Based on a conceptual model linking the landscape, people, and mosquitoes, this interdisciplinary study focused on the impacts of changes in land use on dengue and malaria vectors and dengue transmission in northern Thailand. Extensive data on mosquito presence and abundance, land-use change, and infection risk determinants were collected over 3 years. The results of the different components of the study were then integrated through a set of equations linking land use to disease via mosquito abundance. The impacts of a number of plausible scenarios for future land-use changes in the region, and of concomitant behavioral change were assessed. Results indicated that land-use changes have a detectable impact on mosquito populations and on infection. This impact varies according to the local environment but can be counteracted by adoption of preventive measures.

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Acknowledgments

This study was financially supported by EU grant QLRT-1999-31787, provided within the Quality of Life and Management of Living Resources Programme (1998–2002). Mark Isenstadt and Conor Cahill conducted the mosquito collections. We thank David J. Rogers from Oxford University for his comments on an earlier version of the manuscript. We also thank the participants of the RISKMODEL final workshop that was held in Chiang Mai on September 26–27, 2005.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, Université Catholique de Louvain, Place Pasteur, 3, 1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

    Sophie O. Vanwambeke & Eric F. Lambin

  2. School of Biology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK

    Markus P. Eichhorn

  3. Flasse Consulting, Maidstone, UK

    Stéphane P. Flasse

  4. Department of Entomology, The Natural History Museum, London, UK

    Ralph E. Harbach

  5. Biomedical Research, Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Linda Oskam, Stella van Beers & Birgit H. B. van Benthem

  6. Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand

    Pradya Somboon

  7. Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK

    Cathy Walton

  8. Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK

    Roger K. Butlin

Authors
  1. Sophie O. Vanwambeke
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  2. Eric F. Lambin
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  3. Markus P. Eichhorn
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  4. Stéphane P. Flasse
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  5. Ralph E. Harbach
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  6. Linda Oskam
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  7. Pradya Somboon
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  9. Birgit H. B. van Benthem
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  10. Cathy Walton
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  11. Roger K. Butlin
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sophie O. Vanwambeke.

Appendix

Appendix

Table 1. Literature Sources for Biological Parameters
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Vanwambeke, S.O., Lambin, E.F., Eichhorn, M.P. et al. Impact of Land-use Change on Dengue and Malaria in Northern Thailand. EcoHealth 4, 37–51 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-007-0085-5

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