University of New England

UNE RESEARCH
By Susan Pierter
Using Satellites to Save Lives
Tim Ford never envisioned being in the position to advocate for funding
of satellite imaging programs. But research has led him to believe that
this technology could give public health officials world-wide advance
warning of disease outbreaks by monitoring environmental changes.
Tim Ford, Ph.D.
This comes at a time when America’s next generation of
Earth-observation satellites are in trouble, according to
The Economist. They report that our satellites are coming
to an end of their useful lives and a replacement system
has suffered delays.
Ford, Vice President of Research and Dean of the
College of Graduate Studies at UNE, and his colleagues
believe the usefulness of satellite images extends beyond
their well known use of forecasting weather and studying
the climate.
Their research was featured in the September issue of
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Emerging
Infectious Diseases publication in an article, Using Satellite
Images of Environmental Changes to Predict Infectious
Disease Outbreaks.Their findings have also been recognized
by media including ABC News, Scientific American,
Predictive Modeling News and the American Society for
Microbiology magazine, Microbe.
Water and climate go hand in hand, the report cites,
with precipitation and extreme weather events known
to be associated with outbreaks of infectious disease.
Changes in sea surface temperature, measured by satellite
imaging, can stimulate the ocean algal blooms that
in turn can support the growth and distribution of the
causative agent of cholera. Warming trends and increased
rainfall also affect terrestrial vegetation that in
turn may promote proliferation of disease vectors such
as the deer mouse which transmits hantavirus.
“Far more information and resources are needed
if we are to develop effective early warning systems
through environmental surveillance and modeling as well
as appropriate emergency response,” said Ford. “Knowing
when an outbreak is likely to occur can inform public
health workers to stress basic hygiene and sanitation.”
The report cites simple steps such as filtering water
with sari cloth that has been credited with reducing
deaths from cholera by around 50%.
Ford’s colleagues and co-authors include Rita Colwell
of the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University
Bloomberg School of Public Health; Joan Rose of
Michigan State University; Stephen Morse of Columbia
University Mailman School of Public Health; David Rogers
of Oxford University; and Terry Yates of the University
of New Mexico.
Ford’s research shows
water and climate go hand
in hand, with precipitation
and extreme weather events
known to be associated
with outbreaks of infectious
disease. Knowing when an
outbreak is likely to occur
can inform public health
workers to stress basic
hygiene and sanitation.
18 UNIVERSITY OF NEW ENGLAND