Developing a Geographic Information System Based Rabies Reporting System

Deborah M. Dumin, Natural Resources Center Department of Environmental Protection and Ellen Cromley, University of Connecticut

In 1990, a wildlife rabies epizootic primarily involving raccoons began spreading across the state of Connecticut. The Department of Health maintains a rabies reporting system which tracks incidence, human and domestic animal exposure, and the location of the exposure by street address. Summaries of incidence are limited to the aggregate level of the town. Integrating GIS with the reporting system can aid epidemiologists, wildlife biologists and government officials in analyzing and controlling the disease by providing ready access to rabies exposure data and related natural resource and demographic information at a site specific level. The proposed system will enable the user to analyze associations among rabies incidence, land use and land cover, terrain, human population density and demographic characteristics at geocoded exposure sites and to track temporal changes in rabies occurrence. The additional capabilities provided by GIS can help expand our understanding the dynamics of rabies distribution and aid in identifying populations at risk.




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