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Accepted Paper:
Héloïse Lucaccioni (Université Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense and IFRA Nigeria) Pascal Handschumacher (IRD) Laurent Granjon (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement)
Paper short abstract:
Our contribution explores a theorical infectious risk associated with the invasion of a commensal rodent in a changing west-African periphery. Understanding the construction of geographical systems at risks through a “One Health” approach may contribute to weight the many parameters of disease risks.
Paper long abstract:
In Southeastern Senegal, health concerns are raised regarding the invasion of the Black Rat, a commensal species and a host of pathogens. The historical invasion of this rodent in Senegal shows the combination of both bioecological and anthropogenic factors, including climate variability. From this historical point of view, appearance and disappearance of this rodent from various ecogeographical context underlines the role of both environmental transformations and modification of links between places.
More recently, in southeastern Senegal the rodent reaches a bioclimatic interface between sahelo-soudanian/soudano-guinean areas (north/south), unequally suitable. At the same time, the current opening of this periphery leads to increased transportation flows able to carry the rat.
Geographers together with mammalogists compared trade flows and environmental conditions along this bioclimatic gradient, in order to better understand the drivers of the spatial diffusion of the rat. We demonstrate that the invasion of the rat lies among the many determinants that contribute to the construction of geographical systems.
Through this example, we provide food for thought for a "One Health" approach that can address the question of infectious diseases risks by replacing climate change at the right place and weight among the geographical systems at risks. This can be done by 1) working together with biologists and social sciences at the same spatial and temporal scales, 2) targeting study locations regarding both the relevant environmental and social dimensions, 3) distinguishing different level of the risk of infectious disease, from the spatial diffusion of a host to the transmission of pathogens.
The "One Health" approach to understanding climate change and infectious disease - is it enough?
Session 1