Two Countries Adopt Malaria Forecasting System Developed at Duke
An AI-powered forecasting tool developed by Duke researchers could save lives by helping Central American countries get ahead of malaria outbreaks. Now being adopted in Panama and Honduras, the system uses climate, health and environmental data to predict when and where malaria will strike, enabling ministries of health to target testing, treatment and prevention more effectively. With malaria cases in Panama rising 15-fold over the past four years, the ability to anticipate outbreaks up to nine months in advance is critical to reversing the trend and preventing the disease’s spread northward. By integrating thousands of variables, including climate shifts and local interventions, the tool offers a powerful new way to combat malaria.
The development of this tool was supported by NASA.
