RISKS AND SOCIAL VULNERABILITY TO MALARIA IN ZAMBEZIA PROVINCE-MOZAMBIQUE

Abstract

This article focuses on a discussion about the risks and social vulnerability for malaria in Zambezia Province, central region of Mozambique in Africa. There were analyzed the several rates of illiteracy, population density, total population, population group in 0-4 age and women of childbearing age population group in each district, the base for territorial planning. For the modeling of the vulnerability, Geographic Information System methodology was used, where was done a balancing of weights of variables used; giving greater weight (three) to population density by considering that higher agglomeration means greater risk of transmission. The same weight was given to population group with age between 0 and 4 years, the most susceptive to malaria. The group constituted   by women of childbearing age and the total population was given weight two. The rate of illiteracy was attributed weight one. The results obtained show that Quelimane city, the capital of Zambezia Province presents higher social vulnerability and also the highest levels of malaria incidence ( a risk indicator of malaria) for the period analyzed, probably because of  disabled socio-environmental conditions, which is characteristic of poor cities.