Introduction: Influenza is an important cause of paediatric illness across the globe. However, information about the relationships between air pollution, meteorological variability and paediatric influenza A and B infections in tropical settings is limited.
Methods: We analysed all daily reports of influenza A and B infections in children <5 years old obtained from the largest specialist women and children's hospital in Singapore. In separate negative binomial regression models, we assessed the dependence of paediatric influenza A and B infections on air quality and meteorological variability, using multivariable fractional polynomial modelling and adjusting for time-varying confounders.
Results: Approximately 80% of 7329 laboratory-confirmed reports were caused by influenza A. We observed positive associations between sulphur dioxide (SO) exposure and the subsequent risk of infection with both influenza types. We observed evidence of a harvesting effect of SO on Influenza A but not Influenza B. Ambient temperature was associated with a decline in influenza A reports (Relative Risk at lag 5 [RR]: 0.949, 95% CI: 0.916-0.983). Rainfall was positively associated with a subsequent increase in influenza A reports (RR: 1.044, 95% CI: 1.017-1.071). Nitrogen dioxide (NO) concentration was positively associated with influenza B reports (RR: 1.015, 95% CI: 1.005-1.025). There was a non-linear association between CO and influenza B reports. Absolute humidity increased the ensuing risk of influenza B (RR: 4.799, 95% CI: 2.277-10.118). Influenza A and B infections displayed dissimilar but predictable within-year seasonal patterns.
Conclusions: We observed different independent associations between air quality and meteorological variability with paediatric influenza A and B infections. Anticipated seasonal infection peaks and variations in air quality and meteorological parameters can inform the timing of community measures aimed at reducing influenza infection risk.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2022.114453 | DOI Listing |
Viruses
January 2025
Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, 250 Kuo Kuang Road, Taichung 40227, Taiwan.
The outbreaks of several epidemics caused by pathogenic avian viruses pose significant threats to the poultry industry [...
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January 2025
Département de Virologie, Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Dakar BP 220, Senegal.
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December 2024
Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada.
Treatment options for viral infections are limited and viruses have proven adept at evolving resistance to many existing therapies, highlighting a significant vulnerability in our defenses. In response to this challenge, we explored the modulation of cellular RNA metabolic processes as an alternative paradigm to antiviral development. Previously, the small molecule 5342191 was identified as a potent inhibitor of HIV-1 replication by altering viral RNA accumulation at doses that minimally affect host gene expression.
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December 2024
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand.
Influenza A virus (IAV) remains a pandemic threat. Particularly, the evolution and increased interspecies and intercontinental transmission of avian IAV H5N1 subtype highlight the importance of continuously studying the IAV and identifying the determinants of its pathogenesis. Host innate antiviral response is the first line of defense against IAV infection, and the transcription factor, the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), has emerged as a critical component of this response.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAcute respiratory infections (ARIs) are a leading cause of death in children under five globally. The seasonal trends and profiles of respiratory viruses vary by region and season. Due to limited information and the population's vulnerability, we conducted the hospital-based surveillance of respiratory viruses in Eastern Uttar Pradesh.
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