Rainfall is largely responsible for creating the conditions which allow sufficient surface
water for mosquito breeding sites and is, therefore, recognized as one of the major factors
influencing malaria transmission in warm semi-arid and desert-
fringe areas. Explosive epidemics often occur in these regions after excessive rains and,
where these follow periods of drought and poor food security, can be especially severe.
Consequently, rainfall monitoring forms one of the essential elements for the development
of integrated Malaria Early Warning Systems (MEWS) for sub-Saharan Africa, as outlined by
the World Health Organization.
The map on this page displays dekadal (aproximately 10-day) estimated precipitation amounts
over Africa. The default map shows precipitation totals for the most recently available
dekad, but totals for previous dekads can be displayed as well. By clicking on a location
on the map the user can generate four time series graphs
that provide analyses of recent rainfall averaged over an administrative district or box
of a selected size, with respect to that of recent seasons and the short-term multiple-year
average. These analyses of recent precipitation placed in historical context are intended
to provide useful epidemic early warning information for epidemic-prone regions.
References:
Grover-Kopec E., Kawano M., Klaver R. W., Blumenthal B., Ceccato P., Connor S. J. An online operational rainfall-monitoring resource for epidemic malaria early warning systems in Africa. Malaria Journal, 2005, 4:6.