Cholera remains one of the most prevalent water-related infections in many tropical regions of the world, specifically coastal areas of South Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
A recent study in Remote Sensing Letters emphasizes and explores the potential of satellite remote sensing data on the occurrence of cholera in regions where the disease is seasonally endemic and reliable data is not available. Satellite remote sensing can provide an indirect measure of coastal water conditions conducive for cholera dynamics. It cannot alone provide a direct connection to V. cholerae abundance, but can help determine timing and location of the presence of biological and organic matter in coastal waters that contribute to growth and distribution of the causative agent of cholera. The study shows that prediction of cholera with reasonable accuracy, can be achieved at least two month in advance, in the endemic coastal regions.
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Source:http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/2150704X.2013.802097#.UdvNc_movD4