Environmental and climatic factors influence human and animal health. Outbreaks and spread of vector-borne diseases, such as those transmitted by mosquitoes, depend on temperature, rainfall, humidity, vegetation, land use practices and other environmental factors. These can increase or decrease the lifecycle and reproduction cycle of mosquito and parasite or other pathogen. How do people use inherently uncertain information (e.g. seasonal rainfall forecasts) in public and personal health decisions?

Surveillance and Control of Rift Valley Fever in the Greater Horn of Africa and the Middle East »
This project tries to model disease risk and to understand how such a model can be used in a large-scale multilevel decision system involving stakeholders in animal trade.

Effective Use of Scientific Information: Social Goals, Incentive Structures, and Learning Under Uncertainty
Many types of decision problems might be clarified by scientific forecasts that reduce uncertainty. Yet there exist many barriers to the use of forecasts. Our research addresses four such barriers: incompatibility, conflicting information, mistrust, and competitive disadvantage. (Rift Valley Fever 2)



Last Updated: June 1, 2006