For the last two decades, dengue fever has continuously been a disease burden
in Viet Nam, particularly in the Mekong River Delta (MRD) region, which is
one of the regions most vulnerable to climate change. This study focuses on
mapping vulnerability to dengue over the MRD region of Viet Nam by applying
the Water-Associated Disease Index approach developed by Dickin, Schuster-Wallace
and Elliott
... [Show full abstract] (2013) and using geospatial data. The data includes
annual land cover and monthly temperature extracted from MODIS (Moderate
Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) and monthly precipitation from
GSMaP (Global Satellite Mapping of Precipitation). The maps, produced for
the period 2001-2016, helped in analyzing temporal and spatial patterns of
vulnerability to dengue in the region. The results show clear seasonal variation
in vulnerability over the whole region following the variability in the
climate factor. Pearson’s correlation was used to evaluate the association
between dengue rates and vulnerability aggregated at the provincial level.
Significant linear associations, with a correlation coefficient greater than 0.5,
were found in half of the provinces mapped. Mapping vulnerability to dengue
using geospatial technology seems to be an effective means for supporting
public health authorities in disease control and intervention not only for the
MRD region but also for the whole country of Viet Nam