Student Research Reports
The Effects of Socioeconomics on the Spread of West Nile Virus in California Counties
Country:United States of America
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:
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Presentation Poster:
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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