GPS Tracking Helping in the Fight Against Malaria Carrying Monkeys
30 Oct 2014Ebola isn’t the only serious disease people are concerned about, though it is certainly a disease to worry about. Malaria is still very much a risk for people in various parts of the world.
It’s now thought that monkeys may be carrying the disease and passing it onto humans, particularly with the macaque monkeys on the island of Borneo. Knowing this, scientists are using GPS tracking and drones to figure out how to avoid this from happening.
Malaria is a very serious disease that can also be fatal. People get flu-like symptoms when they have malaria, including a high fever and chills. People usually get a vaccine when traveling to companies that are known for the disease, but this doesn’t prevent the disease for everyone.
Historically, malaria was originally carried by mosquitoes in areas like South Asia and the sub-Saharan parts of Africa. These mosquitoes bite monkeys there, who then can pass it on to humans.
However, there is now an increased rate of monkeys being bitten by Malaria-ridden mosquitoes, which is causing researchers to want to study this further and figure out what exactly is happening.
“One of the hypotheses is that it’s due to environmental change, which includes an increase in population and farming, and changes in land use, which are putting pressure on the macaque population to change their behavior,” said Chris Drakeley, who is a professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine:
Researchers are using drones that have GPS tracking technology inside them. The drones are being sent over areas where land is changing fast, including fields in areas where the monkeys with malaria frequent.
They are using a drone carrying a camera and GPS device, which is called the senseFlyeBee. There is software attached to it that creates detailed maps and surface information of the nearby land and its vegetation.
The camera inside the drone takes images that can be linked to data collected from GPS collars that were placed on the monkeys being tracked. There are also residents who are carrying GPS trackers, so that they can see the difference between the monkeys and humans in the same area with the land changes.
Researchers have found that there are often unexpected ways the monkeys and humans cross paths. The macaque monkey is very adaptable to any environment, so they are not opposed to interactions with humans. They are not afraid to go near homes, where humans become interested in the monkeys.
Next, researchers want to add infrared cameras to their study so they can see the quantity of macaque monkeys in each troop. By knowing how many monkeys are around the one being tracked, they can better look at the monkey and human interactions. Researchers have already covered half of their 5-year project, though they still have a lot of work to do.
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