Lisa Patel

Framework Program in Global Health: Grant Recipient

Lisa Patel
Frontier malaria transmission dynamics in the Peruvian Amazon: the role of vector ecology and population-environment factors
Spring 2008

Country: Peru

Advisor: William Pan

Program: MD at the School of Medicine

Project Abstract:
The recent reemergence of malaria in Peru can be partially attributed to new road construction in Amazon, which has opened the area to agricultural colonization. While land use change in tropical forests during early colonization and settlement from new roads is well understood and the resulting epidemic malaria is well documented, this project seeks to understand the reasons behind high initial transmission rates of malaria from ecological, demographic, and entomological perspectives. Household surveys, vector sampling and identification, and blood smears will be utilized to analyze the role of factors such as unsustainable land use, ecological alteration, and expanding Anopheles habitat in epidemic malaria during early settlement. This research is important to protect the health of future migrant workers, contributing to improved sustainable agriculture and lower rates of deforestation.

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