Guwahati, Jan. 19: The North Eastern Space Applications Centre has decided to use Indian remote sensing satellites for the early detection and control of endemic diseases in the region.
The project, titled ?Early detection and control of endemic diseases in the Northeast?, will be implemented in collaboration with the Regional Medical Research Centre in Dibrugarh under the Indian Council of Medical Research, which will provide research-based support.
The centre will concentrate on Japanese encephalitis and malaria, the two major killer diseases in the region.
Hundreds of people living in the Northeast fall prey to the twin diseases every year. Japanese encephalitis is particularly rampant in the Upper Assam districts.
?We will be able to inform the health authorities in advance about the exact month the diseases will hit the region so that early action can be taken to control them,? a source said.
An official in space application centre said the aim of the project is to identify the climatic factors and the terrain responsible for the spread of the diseases in the region.
?The project will study the details to figure out exactly what conditions lead to the spread of these diseases,? the official said. Scientists would require at least two to three years? data to prepare the methodology of the project, he added.
The centre was set up in December 2000 through the joint efforts of the North Eastern Council and the department of space to promote space technology and to ensure its benefits to the people of the Northeast. The centre addresses issues in natural resources management and development communications, besides encouraging space research in the region.