West Nile Virus is a sometimes fatal disease that is transmitted by mosquitoes. In California, the Monterey County Health Department developed a method for identifying areas that have the highest risk from this disease. The mapping effort uses remote sensing to identify mosquito habitats and demographic data to identify areas with a large number of people over 55 years old (the age of people who are most likely to contract the virus). Highest risk areas are where large numbers of people over 55 live near a mosquito habitat. Information from this mapping effort can be used to prioritize educational and insect control efforts.
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Directions Magazine
# posted by MapWatch @ Sunday, July 18, 2004
