Abstract

Utilizing GIS to Trap West Nile Virus: Tarrant County's Story
Track: Health and Human Services
Authors: Betsi Chatham, Ramon Campos

In the summer of 2012, Tarrant County, Texas experienced an abnormally high incidence of West Nile Virus infection in the human population. Disease surveillance triggered response activities which included increased monitoring of human cases and mosquito pool testing. To monitor the spread of the virus across the population, GIS was chosen as the foundation for spatially visualizing the progression of the epidemiological data. A web-based application was conceived to assist decision makers in identifying possible patterns in human case infections. Further GIS analysis suggested where to deploy mosquito traps based upon the proximity of human cases to habitats favorable for mosquito breeding. Areas for possible pesticide application were identified by proximity analysis of positive mosquito pools and human cases. In the future, Tarrant County's efforts can quickly be repeated in other jurisdictions to effectively and efficiently target prevention and control efforts.