RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Forecasting the numbers of disease vectors with deep learning
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2022.11.22.517519
DO 10.1101/2022.11.22.517519
A1 Ana Ceia-Hasse
A1 Carla A. Sousa
A1 Bruna R. Gouveia
A1 César Capinha
YR 2022
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2022/11/24/2022.11.22.517519.abstract
AB Arboviral diseases such as dengue, Zika, chikungunya or yellow fever are a worldwide concern. The abundance of vector species plays a key role in the emergence of outbreaks of these diseases, so forecasting these numbers is fundamental in preventive risk assessment. Here we describe and demonstrate a novel approach that uses state-of-the-art deep learning algorithms to forecast disease vector numbers. Unlike classical statistical and machine learning methods, deep learning models use time series data directly as predictors and identify the features that are most relevant from a predictive perspective. We demonstrate the application of this approach to predict temporal trends in the number of Aedes aegypti mosquito eggs across Madeira Island for the period 2013 to 2019. Specifically, we apply the deep learning models to predict whether, in the following week, the number of Ae. aegypti eggs will remain unchanged, or whether it will increase or decrease, considering different percentages of change. We obtained high predictive accuracy for all years considered (mean AUC = 0.92 ± 0.05 sd). We also found that the preceding numbers of eggs is a highly informative predictor of future numbers. Linking our approach to disease transmission or importation models will contribute to operational, early warning systems of arboviral disease risk.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.