MIT Computer Program Analyzes Environmental Changes, Could Aid Malaria Prevention Efforts, Researchers Say
A computer program developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology could help in malaria prevention efforts by identifying which environmental changes would be most effective in controlling the spread of mosquito-borne diseases, VOA News reports. The program -- based on four years of research in a mosquito-endemic area of Niger -- compares conventional strategies of fighting malaria, such as insecticide-treated nets, to physical changes in the environment, such as leveling land to eliminate soil depressions, which can accumulate water and create mosquito breeding grounds. Elfatih Eltahir, an MIT civil engineer who developed the program with colleagues, said the program creates environmental models for communities dealing with large populations of mosquitoes. According to Eltahir, the computer program is "like many applications of computer models we use to screen and compare different alternatives." He added that he thinks researchers could "bring that technology to look at the malaria problem in Africa too, as an additional tool to plan environmental management to help in those kind of efforts."
Environmental changes can be an important factor in the fight against malaria, Eltahir said, adding that "[s]ome of the exercises regarding elimination of malaria in some parts of North America and Europe and South America in the past have relied maybe exclusively on these kind of approaches. So they definitely have a significant level of efficiency" (Berman, VOA News, 12/24/08).
