An app created at the University of South Florida is helping identify mosquito habitats and deliver insect control to communities around the world.
Associate Professor Benjamin Jacob is making a worldwide impact on the spread of malaria and tropical diseases with an app. This innovative technology uses drone and satellite images to identify previously untreated mosquito habitats and deliver targeted treatments within the same day. After successfully eradicating a major source of malaria, Jacob’s technology and training program are being implemented in affected areas throughout Africa. They are even being implemented in Tampa Bay.
Jacob is a public health researcher in addition to an associate professor at USF, and has been researching the mosquito identifying algorithm for several years. He began in Uganda, where each of the 120 homes he surveyed was infested with at least 200 mosquitoes.
He stated: “What those countries are dealing with is a tragedy beyond describing. For me, training the local people is huge. They want the knowledge and I think they’re willing to do whatever it takes to stop malaria.”
How the tech to combat malaria works
The system identifies specific environmental features, such as mud or vegetation, and creates a unique “fingerprint” to classify the habitat. The data is then classified by testing water resources for mosquito larvae. This allows drones used in the program to associate habitat markers for the presence of mosquitoes. Using the algorithm, drones used in the program were 100% accurate in locating bodies of water where mosquitoes are present.
This technology allows researchers and municipalities to pinpoint mosquito habitats, and therefore target insecticide treatments rather than spraying entire areas. This decreases the likelihood of the mosquitoes developing a resistance to insecticides. It also saves taxpayers on expensive treatments for areas that are not high-risk.
After the success of his research in Uganda, Jacob implemented a program called “Seek and Destroy, which trains local government agencies to use the app for their own mosquito treatment and infectious disease prevention. The program operates in areas where malaria risk is high, such as Cambodia, Uganda, Kenya, and Rwanda.
In one Ugandan area, Jacob was able to successfully train insect control officers to destroy 100% of the app-identified habitats in 31 days. This eliminated the blood parasite level in previously treated and suspected malaria patients in 62 days.
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Hillsborough, Manatee, and Polk counties are starting to implement the program. Thanks to a grant from the Joy McCann Foundation, Jacob’s mapping revealed more than 9,000 mosquito habitats with dengue and zika viruses present within these three counties alone.
Jacob is continuing his research with a new program, Slash and Clear, that will extend his current technology. Now the technology will identify black fly larval, a species known to cause onchocerciasis – a parasitic disease that causes blindness. The success of the program will confirm whether the technology can be used globally to control any type of invasive or dangerous vector.