Using GPS trackers to understand how human movement patterns influence the epidemiology of pathogens causing acute encephalitis syndrome in Ha Nam province, Vietnam

<ns3:p>Background Understanding human movement patterns and their association with risk factors for the acquisition and transmission of pathogens can inform guidance for disease control. In Vietnam, acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) has a wide-ranging etiology; however, it is hypothesized that many causes are due to vector-borne diseases. Methods We undertook a study in Ha Nam province, northern Vietnam, to determine the acceptability and feasibility of using i-gotU GT-120 GPS devices to understand the mobility patterns of healthy residents and evaluate the time spent in areas deemed to be at risk of bites from vectors. Focus group discussions (FGDs) were carried out to understand the knowledge and perceptions of GPS devices. Following this, 48 participants wore a GPS device for eight 72-hour periods over a year from which movement data and feedback were obtained. Results Concerns about the GPS included risks to privacy and health, and losing the device. However, compliance was good with 80,858 unique coordinates obtained and participants carrying the devices for 13,535 km over the study period. All groups of participants (adults and children, and those from urban and rural settings) travelled outside of Ha Nam province however, most spent the greatest proportion of time in areas with a low normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) which was associated with a decreased risk of bites from vectors. Conclusions Our study demonstrates that the use of GPS devices in this setting was a feasible method for collecting data on movement patterns. However, for future studies, given the cost and logistics of using the GPS devices, we recommend exploring methods which allow for a larger sample size.</ns3:p>