A mathematical tool used by the Metropolitan Police and FBI has been adapted by researchers at Queen Mary University of London to help control outbreaks of malaria, and has the potential to target other infectious diseases.
In cases of serial crime such as murder or rape, police typically have too many suspects to consider, for example, the Yorkshire Ripper investigation in the UK generated a total of 268,000 names. To help prioritise these investigations, police forces around the world use a technique called geographic profiling, which uses the spatial locations of the crimes to make inferences about the criminal’s likely anchor point – usually a home or workplace.
Writing in the journal Methods in Ecology and Evolution, the team has shown how the maths that underpins geographic profiling can be adapted to target the control of infectious diseases, including malaria. Using data from an outbreak in Cairo, the scientists show how the new model could use the addresses of patients with malaria to locate the breeding sites of the mosquitoes that transmit the disease.
“The experts working in the field had to search almost 300 square km to find seven breeding sites, but our model found the same sites after searching just two thirds of this area,” said Dr Steve Le Comber, a senior lecturer at QMUL’s School of Biological and Chemical Sciences.
“In fact our model found five of the seven sites after searching just 10.7 square km. This is potentially important since there is a lot of evidence suggesting that the best way to control outbreaks of malaria is to attack the mosquito breeding sites – but it is incredibly difficult to do in practice.”
Read more . . .
The Latest on: Killer diseases
via Google News
The Latest on: Killer diseases
- World Hypertension Day: Need for greater awareness of killer diseaseon May 15, 2022 at 5:20 am
Hypertension is the major cause of a range of health problems such as strokes, heart attacks and kidney disease, and can also contribute to dementia. Many people who suffer from hypertension are ...
- Be on the lookout for fireblight diseaseon May 14, 2022 at 8:00 am
Fireblight, or fireblight disease, is one of the few bacterial plant diseases that threaten cultivated fruit trees and ornamentals.
- Drinking coffee could lead to heart disease — depending on how you brew your beanson May 14, 2022 at 7:35 am
High levels of cholesterol can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, the world’s number one killer. However, little is known about the impact of drinking espressos, where a small amount of ...
- How Are Schizophrenia and Heart Disease Related?on May 13, 2022 at 1:19 pm
More people with schizophrenia die from heart disease than from any other cause. This mirrors the pattern in the general population, where heart disease is also the top killer of both men and women.
- Pedaling past stroke and heart disease with this upcoming community eventon May 13, 2022 at 10:20 am
Cardiovascular disease, including stroke, is the No. 1 killer in the nation responsible for every 1 in 3 deaths. – and although heart disease is sometimes thought of as a ...
- Distinct cellular receptor mutations influence COVID-19 disease severityon May 12, 2022 at 12:11 pm
Natural killer cells (NK cells ... the SARS-CoV-2 viral replication but aggravates the course of COVID-19 disease by triggering an exaggerated immune response." The tests involved are special ...
- Awareness campaign to highlight threat of 'silent killer' diseaseon May 9, 2022 at 7:50 am
A significant amount of people over the age of 50 do not realise they are living with a ‘silent killer’ disease as they don't realise they are suffering from high blood pressure. It has been revealed ...
- Dundee University awarded £5million for 'life changing' killer disease researchon May 6, 2022 at 1:41 am
Dundee University has been awarded £5million to support its 'life changing' research into 'neglected' tropical diseases. The massive cash boost will go toward making advances into killer diseases ...
- Scots mum fears passing ‘killer gene’ onto sons after losing father to Huntington’s diseaseon May 3, 2022 at 11:33 am
A Scots mum tragically discovered she was carrying the same ‘killer gene’ as her father shortly after losing him to Huntington's disease. Dina De Sousa, 58, fears that her two sons will also inherit ...
- Silent Killer Diseases - Latest News and Research Updateson April 27, 2022 at 5:00 pm
Medindia provides you with the latest news and research breakthroughs on Silent Killer Diseases. Please find 5855 such items on this topic. Download Silent Killer ...
via Bing News