Uncovering the Spread of an Infectious Disease with Mobile Phone Data

Abstract

We use mobile phone records for the analysis of mobility patterns and the detection of possible risk zones of Chagas disease in two Latin American countries. We show that geolocalized call records are rich in social and individual information, which can be used to infer whether an individual has lived in an endemic area. We present two case studies, in Argentina and in Mexico, using data provided by mobile phone companies from each country. The risk maps that we generate can be used by health campaign managers to target specific areas and allocate resources more effectively. Finally, we show the value of mobile phone records to predict long-term migrations, which play a crucial role in the spread of Chagas disease.