Premium
Comparison of the incidence of influenza in relation to climate factors during 2000–2007 in five countries
Author(s) -
Tang Julian W.,
Lai Florence Y.L.,
Nymadawa P.,
Deng YiMo,
Ratnamohan Mala,
Petric Martin,
Loh Tze Ping,
Tee Nancy W.S.,
Dwyer Dominic E.,
Barr Ian G.,
Wong Felix Y.W.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of medical virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1096-9071
pISSN - 0146-6615
DOI - 10.1002/jmv.21892
Subject(s) - incidence (geometry) , geography , china , relative humidity , climate change , seasonal influenza , demography , climatology , socioeconomics , meteorology , medicine , covid-19 , biology , ecology , physics , disease , archaeology , pathology , sociology , geology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , optics
Relatively few international comparisons of the incidence of influenza related to climate parameters have been performed, particularly in the Eastern hemisphere. In this study, the incidence of influenza and climate data such as temperature, relative humidity, and rainfall, from cities at different latitudes with contrasting climates: Singapore, Hong Kong (China), Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia), Vancouver (Canada), and three Australian cities (Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney) were examined to determine whether there was any overall relationship between the incidence of influenza and climate. Applying time‐series analyses to the more comprehensive datasets, it was found that relative humidity was associated with the incidence of influenza A in Singapore, Hong Kong, Brisbane, and Vancouver. In the case of influenza B, the mean temperature was the key climate variable associated with the incidence of influenza in Hong Kong, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Vancouver. Rainfall was not significantly correlated with the incidence of influenza A or B in any of these cities. J. Med. Virol. 82:1958–1965, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.