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Assessing the risk of leptospirosis in relation to flooding in Kerala, India.

Ifejube, O.J. (2023) Assessing the risk of leptospirosis in relation to flooding in Kerala, India.

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Abstract:Flooding results in many public health challenges, it also serves as a major amplifier of disease risk factors. Recent studies have associated the transmission of leptospirosis with flooding events, however, there is yet limited knowledge of the contributing factors and their extent of influence. This research focuses on leptospirosis as a flood-induced health effect in Kerala. This research employs various spatiotemporal and descriptive methods to analyse incident cases in relation to flood events. Multivariate regression analyses were also used to assess the relation of risk factors to the natural and flood-induced incidences. Elements for the risk assessment were obtained from environmental datasets, epidemiological data, and qualitative surveys. Based on the results of this study, actionable recommendations were proposed to support the management of leptospirosis infections. The result shows that the incidence of leptospirosis varies over different phases of floods, the most coming during the post-flood phase. A longer flood event may serve as a significant indicator of leptospirosis infection. Flooding exacerbates the incidence of leptospirosis by exposing vulnerable populations to the pathogenic environment. Multisectoral synergies between stakeholders are needed to inform and guide local decisions to reduce the risk of infections before, during and after floods in Kerala.
Item Type:Essay (Master)
Faculty:ITC: Faculty of Geo-information Science and Earth Observation
Subject:43 environmental science
Programme:Spatial Engineering MSc (60962)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/95668
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