Grid and census: A geographic sampling strategy for studying dengue vector breeding sites in urban area

Abstract

Dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) is mainly an urban disease that has been associated with sudden epidemics in tropical regions. Dengue vector surveillance is an important methodology to take the control and prevention action. This paper aims to develop a geographic sampling strategy for vector breeding sites surveillance and ecologic studies by using combination of Grid Cells from high-resolution satellite imagery and Block Cells from census tract data. Spatial sampling methods and spatial multi criteria evaluation were integrated to determine the best location of breeding sites for entomological surveillance in an urban area. Urban structure and ecological characteristics, factors of dengue breeding sites include population density, building and tree cover density, DHF incidence density and rainfall density, were collected and processed using geospatial tools. This approach could improve the efficiency and accuracy of dengue vector surveillance which could be used for evaluating urban sites and randomly selecting locations for accurate entomological surveys.