Caption: A new study by researchers Jonathan Patz and Sarah Olson from the University of Wisconsin–Madison Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment documents the incidence of malaria in relation to land use in 54 Brazilian health districts deep in the Amazon. The study shows that a 4 percent increase in deforestation can spark a 48 percent jump in the incidence of malaria by creating favored habitat for the mosquito that is the primary carrier of the disease in the region.
Map by: Barry Carlsen
Date: June 2010
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Caption: Health clinics such as this one pictured in 2006 in Brazil's Amazon basin not only provide medical care to Brazil's rural population, but also can be key nodes for gathering data on the incidence of malaria. The data is critical for documenting the incidence of the disease on a changing landscape. A new study by researchers Jonathan Patz and Sarah Olson from the University of Wisconsin–Madison Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment documents the incidence of malaria in relation to land use in 54 Brazilian health districts deep in the Amazon. The study shows that a 4 percent increase in deforestation can spark a 48 percent jump in the incidence of malaria by creating favored habitat for the mosquito that is the primary carrier of the disease in the region.
Photo: courtesy of Eduardo Marques Macário
Date: November 2006
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