Livestock and wildlife interactions for zoonoses outbreak in The Gambia
Research Background
Zoonotic diseases pose a significant risk to human health globally. This study attempts to assess the interrelationship between humans, animals, and the environment in the Central River Region (CRR) of The Gambia. This project is collaboration with Prof Kris Murray, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicines as well as MRC@Gambia.
Two PhD students (Mr Tanner Smith, University of Geneva and Mr Aliyu Ahmed, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, hereafter LSHTM) investigate the baseline biodiversity distributions and the chances of livestock-wildlife interactions through passive sound sensors (Aliyu) and camera traps (Tanner). The results will be matched with ongoing fieldwork including medical questionnaires, DNA sampling and human behaviors led by Prof Kris Murray.
Research Questions
In the context of disease emergence, land-use changes are often discussed as the key driver, but we expect there are other forces among various environmental and social factors involved. Here we examine if the patterns of livestock husbandry may contribute to the zoonoses emergence along with other factors such as land-use and environment. Tanner has been conducting study using camera sensors to capture wildlife distributions. Aliyu is conducting field study collecting disease related information as well as the data from passive sound sensors for wildlife distributions aroun several villages.
