PROJECT TITLE: Advanced system for monitoring of mosquito-borne diseases in Romania by integration of space and in-situ data — MONDISROM

Coordinator: “Cantacuzino” National Institute of Research-Development for Microbiology and Immunology 

Partners: S.C. ESRI  ROMANIA  S.R.L.

Period: 29 November 2013 – 28 November 2016

Project director: Dr. Gabriela  Nicolescu

Project team:

• Cantacuzino Institute – specialists in epidemiology and control of mosquito-borne diseases: 
• Dr. biol. Gabriela NICOLESCU – epidemiology, ecology and control of mosquito vectors 
• Dr. biol. Alexandru VLADIMIRESCU – epidemiology, molecular techniques for identification of vectors and pathogens 
• Dr. biol. Valeria PURCAREA-CIULACU – epidemiology, ecology, serology
• Dr. veterinarian Cristin COMAN – epidemiology, vertebrate hosts of mosquito-borne diseases
• ESRI  Romania – specialists in space tehnologies
• Daniela SAIZU – manager 
• Dr. Ionut SANDRIC – environmental modeling and remote sensing
• Dr. Zavate LUCIAN – GIS specialist

Description:

Romania – mosquito-borne diseases (MBD) – problems of public health:

• infections with West Nile virus (and other arboviruses); 
• high risk of malaria re-emergence.

Increased risk of (re)-emergence and spreading of MBD because:

• present climatic changes and other environmental ones leading to –  
• increased abundance and spreading of mosquito vectors 

MONDISROM project – advanced improved system for prevention and control of MBD in Romania by integration of Earth observation by space technologies with in-situ epidemiological surveillance of these diseases. 

Project objectives:

• To improve the obtaining of epidemiological data of MBD (by multidisciplinary in-situ investigations integrated with Earth observation by space technologies) for the better understanding of the spatial and temporal emergence and dynamics of these diseases.  
• To develop a pre-operational service providing the (re)-emergence and spread models, the risk maps and preventive, early warning, surveillance and control strategies of MBD in Romania.

Activities:

• WP1 – Landscape, biotopes and habitats of the MBD 
• WP2 – Earth observation and in-situ data regarding mosquito vector populations
• WP3 – Humans, animal reservoirs and hosts in the transmission cycles of MBD (EO and in situ data)
• WP4 – Integration of EO and in-situ epidemiological data for modeling and risk maps of MBD

Contributions to the STAR programme objectives:

• by introducing of space technologies in epidemiology of MBD-public health problems 
• organizations involved will develop their capacity to participate in ESA programmes for application of space technology in different fields, such as heath, for the European population protection 

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