Satellites help predict outbreaks of disease

Satellites can help scientists follow parasites and viruses, and in some cases predict months ahead of time an outbreak of dengue fever or malaria, researchers said on Sunday.

"Some diseases are highly sensitive to their environment, especially parasitic diseases," said Archie Clements, director of the School of Population Health at the Australian National University in Canberra.

"With remote sensing you can identify places where disease flourishes," Clements told the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in San Jose, California.