ColloquiumThe Biogeography Specialty Group of the American Association of Geographers and the San Diego State University Human Dynamics in the Mobile Age Center 
Title: Human, Snail, Fish, and Waterscape Interactions: Geo-graphic Investigations of Liver Fluke Infections in ThailandAbstract:Infection with the liver fluke, Opisthorchis viverrini (O.v.), caused by ingesting raw freshwater fish, is an important public health issue in Southeast Asia. Despite dec-ades of medical research, high O.v. prevalence still persists along the middle and low-er Mekong River. This talk focuses on issues surrounding the spatial variation of O.v. infections in Northeast Thailand. Broad-scale landscape influences on O.v. preva-lence are first examined through geospatial analyses of village locations and their land use patterns. Abiotic and biotic factors potentially affecting the distribution and abundance of the first intermediate snail host are next investigated through the meas-urements of water quality and snail species diversity. Effects of water body types on O.v. infections in fish are then scrutinized, and villagers are interviewed for their pref-erences for raw fish dishes and fish procurement locations. These geographic investi-gations of O.v. explore the interplay of land, water, disease hosts, and human behav-ior, providing insights into the variation in disease prevalence and infection risk.
Dr. Yi-Chen Wang, Department of Geography, National University of SingaporeDr Yi-Chen Wang is a member of the Biogeography Specialty Group of the American Association of Geographers. She is a member of the editorial board of Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography. Yi-Chen is responsible in the following areas within the Department: She is a member of the Graduate Sub-Committee (GSC) and Financial Resources Sub-Committee (FRSC). Yi-Chen is also part of the Tropical Environmental Change Group. |
