VectorVector--BorneBorne DiseaseDisease EcologyEcology ofof thethe MiddleMiddle EastEast MichaelMichael J.J. Cuomo,Cuomo, MPHMPH Tulane University School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine ScD Program United States Air Force, ANG Biomedical Services Corps Public Health OVERVIEWOVERVIEW BriefBrief DescriptionDescription ofof CountriesCountries inin thethe MiddleMiddle EastEast MilitarilyMilitarily ImportantImportant VectorVector--BorneBorne DiseasesDiseases withwith ShortShort IncubationIncubation PeriodsPeriods (<15(<15 days)days) MilitarilyMilitarily ImportantImportant VectorVector--BorneBorne DiseasesDiseases withwith LongLong IncubationIncubation PeriodsPeriods (>15(>15 days)days) OtherOther DiseasesDiseases ofof MilitaryMilitary SignificanceSignificance NoxiousNoxious // VenomousVenomous AnimalsAnimals andand PlantsPlants ofof MilitaryMilitary SignificanceSignificance BriefBrief DescriptionDescription ofof CountriesCountries inin thethe MiddleMiddle EastEast BahrainBahrain LebanonLebanon CyprusCyprus OmanOman IranIran QatarQatar Saudi Arabia IraqIraq Saudi Arabia SyriaSyria IsraelIsrael TurkeyTurkey JordanJordan UnitedUnited ArabArab EmiratesEmirates KuwaitKuwait YemenYemen GEOGRAPHYGEOGRAPHY OverOver 66 millionmillion sqsq kmkm ofof landland TopologyTopology –– mainlymainly flatflat lowlandslowlands oror plateaus,plateaus, withwith severalseveral mountainmountain rangesranges inin thethe northnorth andand inin coastalcoastal areas.areas. ReliefRelief variesvaries fromfrom thethe highesthighest peak,peak, QollehQolleh--yeye DamavandDamavand inin northernnorthern IranIran atat 5,6715,671 mm aboveabove seasea level,level, toto thethe DeadDead Sea,Sea, borderedbordered byby JordanJordan andand Israel,Israel, atat 400400 mm belowbelow seasea levellevel SitsSits atopatop roughlyroughly halfhalf ofof thethe world’sworld’s knownknown reservesreserves ofof petroleumpetroleum CLIMATECLIMATE OverallOverall characterizedcharacterized asas aridarid AnnualAnnual precipitationprecipitation –– TurkeyTurkey andand LebanonLebanon -- 640640 mmmm QatarQatar andand YemenYemen –– 8080 mmmm MEME AverageAverage 230230 mmmm PrevailingPrevailing windswinds –– WW oror NWNW EachEach countrycountry hashas itsits uniqueunique patternpattern ofof weatherweather PEOPLEPEOPLE && POPULATIONPOPULATION AA mixturemixture ofof manymany differentdifferent cultures,cultures, races,races, religions,religions, andand ethnicethnic backgroundsbackgrounds NumerousNumerous wars,wars, migrations,migrations, naturalnatural upheavals,upheavals, andand routineroutine tradetrade activitiesactivities byby outsideoutside cultures,cultures, governments,governments, religiousreligious orders,orders, armies,armies, andand individualsindividuals overover severalseveral thousandthousand yearsyears havehave ledled toto nearlynearly everyevery imaginableimaginable combinationcombination ofof geneticgenetic andand culturalcultural mixingmixing VastVast majoritymajority areare MuslimMuslim (Shi’a(Shi’a oror Sunni)Sunni) withwith thethe exceptionexception ofof IsraelIsrael (Jews)(Jews) andand CyprusCyprus (Christian)(Christian) WATER,WATER, LIVINGLIVING && SANITARYSANITARY CONDITIONSCONDITIONS WaterWater isis aa preciousprecious resourceresource OverOver use,use, depletiondepletion ofof groundwater,groundwater, andand contaminationcontamination (pollution)(pollution) ofof naturalnatural surfacesurface waterwater andand aquifersaquifers byby human,human, animal,animal, industrialindustrial andand agriculturalagricultural wasteswastes havehave furtherfurther reducedreduced suppliessupplies PoorPoor sanitationsanitation supportssupports largelarge populationspopulations ofof rodents,rodents, flies,flies, mosquitoes,mosquitoes, andand otherother vectorsvectors BAHRAINBAHRAIN BAHRAINBAHRAIN LocationLocation -- archipelagoarchipelago inin thethe PersianPersian Gulf,Gulf, easteast ofof SaudiSaudi ArabiaArabia AreaArea –– total:total: 665665 sqsq kmkm water:water: 00 sqsq kmkm land:land: 665665 sqsq kmkm SizeSize -- 3.53.5 timestimes thethe sizesize ofof Washington,Washington, DCDC CoastlineCoastline -- 161161 kmkm NaturalNatural ResourcesResources -- oil,oil, associatedassociated andand nonassociatednonassociated naturalnatural gas,gas, fish,fish, pearlspearls BAHRAINBAHRAIN ClimateClimate -- arid;arid; mild,mild, pleasantpleasant winters;winters; veryvery hot,hot, humidhumid summerssummers TerrainTerrain -- mostlymostly lowlow desertdesert plainplain risingrising gentlygently toto lowlow centralcentral escarpmentescarpment ElevationElevation ExtremesExtremes –– lowestlowest point:point: PersianPersian GulfGulf 00 mm highesthighest point:point: JabalJabal adad DukhanDukhan 122122 mm EnvironmentalEnvironmental IssuesIssues -- desertificationdesertification resultingresulting fromfrom thethe degradationdegradation ofof limitedlimited arablearable land,land, periodsperiods ofof drought,drought, andand dustdust storms;storms; coastalcoastal degradationdegradation (damage(damage toto coastlines,coastlines, coralcoral reefs,reefs, andand seasea vegetation)vegetation) resultingresulting fromfrom oiloil spillsspills andand otherother dischargesdischarges fromfrom largelarge tankers,tankers, oiloil refineries,refineries, andand distributiondistribution stations;stations; lacklack ofof freshwaterfreshwater resources,resources, groundwatergroundwater andand seawaterseawater areare thethe onlyonly sourcessources forfor allall waterwater needsneeds CYPRUSCYPRUS CYPRUSCYPRUS LocationLocation -- islandisland inin thethe MediterraneanMediterranean Sea,Sea, southsouth ofof TurkeyTurkey AreaArea -- total: 9,250 sq km (of which 3,355 sq km are in the Turkish Cypriot area) water: 10 sq km land: 9,240 sq km SizeSize -- aboutabout 0.60.6 timestimes thethe sizesize ofof ConnecticutConnecticut CoastlineCoastline -- 648648 kmkm NaturalNatural ResourcesResources -- copper,copper, pyrites,pyrites, asbestos,asbestos, gypsum,gypsum, timber,timber, salt,salt, marble,marble, clayclay earthearth pigmentpigment CYPRUSCYPRUS ClimateClimate -- temperate;temperate; MediterraneanMediterranean withwith hot,hot, drydry summerssummers andand coolcool winterswinters TerrainTerrain -- centralcentral plainplain withwith mountainsmountains toto northnorth andand south;south; scatteredscattered butbut significantsignificant plainsplains alongalong southernsouthern coastcoast ElevationElevation ExtremesExtremes -- lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Olympus 1,951 m EnvironmentalEnvironmental IssuesIssues –– waterwater resourceresource problemsproblems (no(no naturalnatural reservoirreservoir catchments,catchments, seasonalseasonal disparitydisparity inin rainfall,rainfall, seasea waterwater intrusionintrusion toto island'sisland's largestlargest aquifer,aquifer, increasedincreased salinationsalination inin thethe north);north); waterwater pollutionpollution fromfrom sewagesewage andand industrialindustrial wastes;wastes; coastalcoastal degradation;degradation; lossloss ofof wildlifewildlife habitatshabitats fromfrom urbanizationurbanization IRANIRAN LocationLocation -- borderingbordering thethe GulfGulf ofof Oman,Oman, thethe PersianPersian Gulf,Gulf, andand thethe CaspianCaspian Sea,Sea, betweenbetween IraqIraq andand PakistanPakistan AreaArea -- total: 1.648 million sq km land: 1.636 million sq km water: 12,000 sq km SizeSize -- slightlyslightly largerlarger thanthan AlaskaAlaska CoastlineCoastline -- 2,4402,440 km;km; notenote -- IranIran alsoalso bordersborders thethe CaspianCaspian SeaSea (740(740 km)km) NaturalNatural ResourcesResources -- petroleum,petroleum, naturalnatural gas,gas, coal,coal, chromium,chromium, copper,copper, ironiron ore,ore, lead,lead, manganese,manganese, zinc,zinc, sulfursulfur IRANIRAN ClimateClimate -- mostlymostly aridarid oror semiarid,semiarid, subtropicalsubtropical alongalong CaspianCaspian coastcoast TerrainTerrain -- rugged,rugged, mountainousmountainous rim;rim; high,high, centralcentral basinbasin withwith deserts,deserts, mountains;mountains; small,small, discontinuousdiscontinuous plainsplains alongalong bothboth coastscoasts ElevationElevation ExtremesExtremes –– lowestlowest point:point: CaspianCaspian SeaSea --2828 mm highesthighest point:point: QollehQolleh--yeye DamavandDamavand 5,6715,671 mm IRANIRAN EnvironmentalEnvironmental IssuesIssues -- airair pollution,pollution, especiallyespecially inin urbanurban areas,areas, fromfrom vehiclevehicle emissions,emissions, refineryrefinery operations,operations, andand industrialindustrial effluents;effluents; deforestation;deforestation; overgrazing;overgrazing; desertification;desertification; oiloil pollutionpollution inin thethe PersianPersian Gulf;Gulf; wetlandwetland losseslosses fromfrom drought;drought; soilsoil degradationdegradation (salination);(salination); inadequateinadequate suppliessupplies ofof potablepotable water;water; waterwater pollutionpollution fromfrom rawraw sewagesewage andand industrialindustrial waste;waste; urbanizationurbanization IRAQIRAQ IRAQIRAQ LocationLocation –– borderingbordering thethe PersianPersian Gulf,Gulf, betweenbetween IranIran andand KuwaitKuwait AreaArea –– total:total: 437,072437,072 sqsq kmkm water:water: 4,9104,910 sqsq kmkm land:land: 432,162432,162 sqsq kmkm SizeSize –– slightlyslightly moremore thanthan twicetwice thethe sizesize ofof IdahoIdaho CoastlineCoastline –– 5858 kmkm NaturalNatural ResourcesResources -- petroleum,petroleum, naturalnatural gas,gas, phosphates,phosphates, sulfursulfur