Impacts of Deforestation on Childhood Malaria Depend on Wealth and Vector Biology
Abstract Ecosystem change can profoundly affect human well‐being and health, including through changes in exposure to vector‐borne diseases. Deforestation has increased human exposure to mosquito vectors and malaria risk in Africa, but there is little understanding of how socioeconomic and ecologica...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
2024-03-01
|
| Series: | GeoHealth |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GH000764 |
| _version_ | 1797242845229219840 |
|---|---|
| author | Tafesse Kefyalew Estifanos Brendan Fisher Gillian L. Galford Taylor H. Ricketts |
| author_facet | Tafesse Kefyalew Estifanos Brendan Fisher Gillian L. Galford Taylor H. Ricketts |
| author_sort | Tafesse Kefyalew Estifanos |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Ecosystem change can profoundly affect human well‐being and health, including through changes in exposure to vector‐borne diseases. Deforestation has increased human exposure to mosquito vectors and malaria risk in Africa, but there is little understanding of how socioeconomic and ecological factors influence the relationship between deforestation and malaria risk. We examined these interrelationships in six sub‐Saharan African countries using demographic and health survey data linked to remotely sensed environmental variables for 11,746 children under 5 years old. We found that the relationship between deforestation and malaria prevalence varies by wealth levels. Deforestation is associated with increased malaria prevalence in the poorest households, but there was not significantly increased malaria prevalence in the richest households, suggesting that deforestation has disproportionate negative health impacts on the poor. In poorer households, malaria prevalence was 27%–33% larger for one standard deviation increase in deforestation across urban and rural populations. Deforestation is also associated with increased malaria prevalence in regions where Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles funestus are dominant vectors, but not in areas of Anopheles arabiensis. These findings indicate that deforestation is an important driver of malaria risk among the world's most vulnerable children, and its impact depends critically on often‐overlooked social and biological factors. An in‐depth understanding of the links between ecosystems and human health is crucial in designing conservation policies that benefit people and the environment. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:45:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c6007b929d404d6ebca32c0a72f2232e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2471-1403 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:45:41Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | American Geophysical Union (AGU) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | GeoHealth |
| spelling | doaj.art-c6007b929d404d6ebca32c0a72f2232e2024-03-27T05:36:28ZengAmerican Geophysical Union (AGU)GeoHealth2471-14032024-03-0183n/an/a10.1029/2022GH000764Impacts of Deforestation on Childhood Malaria Depend on Wealth and Vector BiologyTafesse Kefyalew Estifanos0Brendan Fisher1Gillian L. Galford2Taylor H. Ricketts3Gund Institute for Environment University of Vermont Burlington VT USAGund Institute for Environment University of Vermont Burlington VT USAGund Institute for Environment University of Vermont Burlington VT USAGund Institute for Environment University of Vermont Burlington VT USAAbstract Ecosystem change can profoundly affect human well‐being and health, including through changes in exposure to vector‐borne diseases. Deforestation has increased human exposure to mosquito vectors and malaria risk in Africa, but there is little understanding of how socioeconomic and ecological factors influence the relationship between deforestation and malaria risk. We examined these interrelationships in six sub‐Saharan African countries using demographic and health survey data linked to remotely sensed environmental variables for 11,746 children under 5 years old. We found that the relationship between deforestation and malaria prevalence varies by wealth levels. Deforestation is associated with increased malaria prevalence in the poorest households, but there was not significantly increased malaria prevalence in the richest households, suggesting that deforestation has disproportionate negative health impacts on the poor. In poorer households, malaria prevalence was 27%–33% larger for one standard deviation increase in deforestation across urban and rural populations. Deforestation is also associated with increased malaria prevalence in regions where Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles funestus are dominant vectors, but not in areas of Anopheles arabiensis. These findings indicate that deforestation is an important driver of malaria risk among the world's most vulnerable children, and its impact depends critically on often‐overlooked social and biological factors. An in‐depth understanding of the links between ecosystems and human health is crucial in designing conservation policies that benefit people and the environment.https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GH000764AfricaAnopheles gambiaeAnopheles funestusdeforestationland use changemalaria prevalence |
| spellingShingle | Tafesse Kefyalew Estifanos Brendan Fisher Gillian L. Galford Taylor H. Ricketts Impacts of Deforestation on Childhood Malaria Depend on Wealth and Vector Biology GeoHealth Africa Anopheles gambiae Anopheles funestus deforestation land use change malaria prevalence |
| title | Impacts of Deforestation on Childhood Malaria Depend on Wealth and Vector Biology |
| title_full | Impacts of Deforestation on Childhood Malaria Depend on Wealth and Vector Biology |
| title_fullStr | Impacts of Deforestation on Childhood Malaria Depend on Wealth and Vector Biology |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impacts of Deforestation on Childhood Malaria Depend on Wealth and Vector Biology |
| title_short | Impacts of Deforestation on Childhood Malaria Depend on Wealth and Vector Biology |
| title_sort | impacts of deforestation on childhood malaria depend on wealth and vector biology |
| topic | Africa Anopheles gambiae Anopheles funestus deforestation land use change malaria prevalence |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GH000764 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT tafessekefyalewestifanos impactsofdeforestationonchildhoodmalariadependonwealthandvectorbiology AT brendanfisher impactsofdeforestationonchildhoodmalariadependonwealthandvectorbiology AT gillianlgalford impactsofdeforestationonchildhoodmalariadependonwealthandvectorbiology AT taylorhricketts impactsofdeforestationonchildhoodmalariadependonwealthandvectorbiology |