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The Effects of Socioeconomics on the Spread of West Nile Virus in California Counties

Student(s):Sharis Hsu, Alexander Mai, Eric Gavizon, Thomas Warkentine, Danaii Elizondo
Grade Level:Secondary School (grades 9-12, ages 14-18)
GLOBE Educator(s):Cassie Soeffing
Contributors:Dr. Rusty Low, IGES, scientist Peder Nelson, OSU, sme Dr. Erika Podest, NASA JPL, scientist Andrew Clark, IGES, EO Researcher and Data Analyst Christopher Grizzaffi, peer mentor
Report Type(s):International Virtual Science Symposium Report, Mission Mosquito Report
Protocols:Earth As a System, Mosquitoes
Presentation Video: View Video
Presentation Poster: View Document
Language(s):English
Date Submitted:01/24/2023
The spread of mosquito-borne diseases—illnesses that use mosquito species as a primary vector—across human populations in a variety of environments is a growing concern in the domain of public health. Socioeconomic factors such as income and education create disparities in public health; therefore socioeconomic factors across various regions can dictate the uneven distribution of mosquito-borne diseases towards different groups. This study aims to determine the strength of this relationship between specifically West Nile cases, and different races in varying socio-regions in California counties. This study will have a scope that spans the state of California across the time period 2020. The spread of the diseases is hypothesized to be most prevalent among minority groups in lower income regions due to increased rates of artificial breeding, and lower access to treatment. In our analysis, we will use data from the Census, the CDC, and WorldCover Map. Wwe will utilize statistical maps to determine how the different factors overlay in counties in California. Our study found that the factors of income and land cover do not play a role in influencing the prevalence of West Nile Virus in a given region. However, we did find a positive, linear relationship between white population percentage and the amount of virus cases. Thus, more resources for the treatment of West Nile Virus should be allocated to regions in which there is a high or rising percentage of white population. In the future, the relationship between land cover and the virus should be reexamined as land cover data is ever improving, both in quality and quantity, and while more socioeconomic factors should be considered. Keywords- West Nile Virus, California Counties, Race, Income, Socioeconomic, Social Epidemiology



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