InteleSense News
Intelesense Technology Tracking Infectious Disease Vectors in Thailand
03-21-08 -- HONOLULU
Intelesense technology has been deployed in Thailand as part of a collaborative research project between Mahidol University's Center for Vectors and Vector Borne Diseases and the University of Hawaii's Asia-Pacific Institute for Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Center for Conservation Research and Training, and UH NSF IGERT Project: Integrating Ecology, Conservation, and Pathogen Biology."The weather station is one of several we plan to set up as part of a research and monitoring project investigating the vector-borne disease emergence, with a specific focus on dengue fever. This has consistently been on the rise for several years throughout Southeast and South Asia -- where tens of millions of people are at risk, indeed most of the 10 million people in the greater Bangkok area along are believe to have been infected at one time or another. But the disease ranges from mild symptoms to, not infrequently, deadly in its hemorrhagic form", noted Dr Bruce Wilcox, a lead researcher on the project.
One of the main purposes of the weather data is to study the relationship of rainfall, temperature and humidity change to both changes in mosquito abundance as well as disease incidence. Such a relation is known to exist, but has never been studied in as fine ecological detail, nor in real-time before.
"We are very excited to support this extremely important research with Mahidol University and the University of Hawaii", stated Dr. Kevin Montgomery, CEO of Intelesense, "understanding the vectors and mechanisms of infectious disease and how they are related to environmental factors are crucial to the prevention and management of infectious disease worldwide".