The Geo Health group, coordinated by Dr. Vincent Herbreteau from the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD), is specialised in the study of the effects of the environment and geographical factors on human health, bringing a useful expertise for the research activities conducted within the Epidemiology and Public Health unit.
Water and health risks in Cambodia (Wat-Health)
Wat-Health aims at studying the exposure and vulnerability of rural populations to the most notable health hazards related to floods (leptospirosis, melioidosis, mosquito-borne diseases, exposure to pesticides), conducting investigations in the Mekong Delta. In 2021, the GeoHealth group worked to describe the land use and land cover with very high resolution satellite images. In 2022, he conducted with the LBM a serological and KAP survey to assess the prevalence of leptospirosis and melioidosis in the local population (500 persons) and explore the risk factors associated with these two diseases. In 2023, the GeoHealth is building the project online platform that will integrate and share information from the various components (bacteriology, entomology, hydrology).
OHARAT (One health anthropological approach to rat-related knowledge and practices in Cambodia and beyond in Southeast Asia)
By analysing the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment, this one-year project aims to document how sociocultural local knowledge is linked and articulated with scientific knowledge. Ethnographic and multi-field works allowed researchers to investigate the social representation of rats (rural-urban perceptions, differences between sites and between species), zoonoses and health practices by conducting in-depth ethnographic and multi-field research. The project organised a two-day workshop at IPC (25 and 26 October 2022) with the participation of researchers from different fields working on rats (anthropology, ecology, virology, history, agriculture, geography) for interdisciplinary discussions.
