Space Based Early WarningThis pair of NOAA/AVHRR satellite images shows Kenya and surrounding areas on December 1996 (A) and December 1997 (B). The greening reflects an increase in rainfall, which created conditions for an outbreak of Rift Valley Fever in December 1997. NASA scientists are working on leveraging environmental satellites to create an early warning system for disease outbreaks across the planet. As the theory goes, disease outbreaks don't just happen -- there's usually an environmental precursor -- yet, when you're on the ground and in the middle of it, it's hard to notice until it's too late. Not from space however -- from space, trends can be noticed, such as weather patterns that may lead to extended periods of rainfall -- which in poor, tropical areas, could lead to outbreaks of diseases that are easily controlled.

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