Publications

Lemos, LD; Oscar, AC; Mendonca, FD (2021). Urban climate maps as a public health tool for urban planning: The case of dengue fever in Rio De Janeiro/Brazil. URBAN CLIMATE, 35, 100749.

Abstract
The urban climate can influence the development of several diseases in the urban environment, among them dengue fever. The existing literature shows a strong correlation of the Aedes aegypti mosquito with climate, and especially with air temperature and humidity. The present study reveals a correlation between the surface temperature in the city of Rio de Janeiro and the distribution of Dengue vector larvae to provide suggestions for urban planning and public health/ epidemiology for the control of the disease. In order to demonstrate this spatial correlation, mean annual surface temperature data obtained from the MODIS sensor and the spatial distribution of Aedes aegypti larvae were used to derive an ROC curve. The epidemic year of 2008 was selected to test the spatial correlation and the results were 67%. The influence of temperature on the spatial distribution of vector larvae in the epidemic years in the context of this study endorses the use of the urban climate map as a tool to help develop strategies for planning for and mitigating the problem. The characteristics of the urban site were derived using matrix algebra, in a GIS environment, and allowed us to identify those portions of the municipal territory that are most susceptible to heat storage - crucial to the reproduction and performance of the dengue fever vector in the transmission of the disease. In the city of Rio de Janeiro, high potential for heating was shown in the central and northern zones, as well as in the area of westward expansion of the city, which are also poorer and densely-populated areas.

DOI:
10.1016/j.uclim.2020.100749

ISSN:
2212-0955