Progress and Challenges in Infectious Disease Cartography
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Updated: Mar 29, 2026

Chemical Cartography Approaches to Study Trypanosomatid Infection
Published on: January 21, 2022
Moritz U G Kraemer1, Simon I Hay2, David M Pigott3
1Spatial Ecology and Epidemiology Group, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK.
Abstract:
Quantitatively mapping the spatial distributions of infectious diseases is key to both investigating their epidemiology and identifying populations at risk of infection. Important advances in data quality and methodologies have allowed for better investigation of disease risk and its association with environmental factors. However, incorporating dynamic human behavioural processes in disease mapping remains challenging. For example, connectivity among human populations, a key driver of pathogen dispersal, has increased sharply over the past century, along with the availability of data derived from mobile phones and other dynamic data sources. Future work must be targeted towards the rapid updating and dissemination of appropriately designed disease maps to guide the public health community in reducing the global burden of infectious disease.
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