Article

Weather Predicts West Nile Virus Occurrences

Author(s):

In the US, there is a relationship between the weather and West Nile virus (WNV) disease prevalence-which could be used to forecast outbreaks-according to an article published in The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

In the US, there is a relationship between the weather and West Nile virus (WNV) disease prevalence—which could be used to forecast outbreaks—according to an article published in The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Using data from 2004-2012, a team of investigators at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in CO and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) created a model which identified meteorological anomalies in relation to spikes in WNV frequency. Due to a variation in WNV rates, the researchers divided the US into 10 climate regions.

In doing so, the authors found most areas with above average temperature experienced higher rates of WMV transmission. The investigators also discovered lower precipitation rates drove WMV disease in the eastern US, but this correlation was the opposite in the west.

Moreover, the investigators reported the relationship between temperature and WMV was strongest in northeast and southeast, where a yearly temperature increase of 1.8° Fahrenheit more than the 2004-2012 average was associated with a fivefold risk a WMV outbreak. While this type of spike in temperature doubled the WMV outbreak risk in other locations, the link wasn’t seen in the western US.

The researchers believe weather could influence WMV prevalence in several ways, including affecting the development of mosquito larvae and breeding habitats, according to a statement released by the NCAR and University Corporation for Atmospheric Research.

“We've shown that it may be possible to build a system to forecast the risk of West Nile virus disease several weeks or months in advance, before the disease begins to peak in summer,” the study’s lead author, Micah Hahn, a scientist with NCAR and Centers for Disease Control (CDC), said. “Having advance warning can help public health agencies plan and take additional steps to protect the public.”

Related Videos
Developing Risk Assessment Tools for Viruses in School
Using Microbiomes to Diagnose Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia
Getting Black Men Involved in Their Health Care, Clinical Research
Patient Involvement in Advanced HF Treatment, with Ashley Malliett, DMSc, MPAS, PA-C
Aaron Henry, PA-C, MSHS: Regaining Black Male Patient Trust in the Doctor's Office
Tailoring Chest Pain Diagnostics to Patients, with Kyle Fortman, PA-C, MBA
Solutions to Prevent Climate Change-Related Illness, with Janelle Bludhorn, PA-C
Kyle Fortman, PA-C, MBA: Troponin and Heart Injury Risk Screening Recommendations
What Should the American Academy of Physician Associates Focus on in 2025?
The Rising Rate of Heat-Related Illness, with Janelle Bludhorn, PA-C
© 2024 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.