Abstract
The outbreak of new infectious diseases is threatening human survival. Transmission of such diseases is determined by several factors, with climate being a very important factor. This study was conducted to assess the correlation between the occurrence of infectious diseases and climatic factors using data from the Sentinel Surveillance System and meteorological data from Gwangju, Jeollanam-do, Republic of Korea. The climate of Gwangju from June to September is humid, with this city having the highest average temperature, whereas that from December to February is cold and dry. Infection rates of Salmonella (temperature: r = 0.710**; relative humidity: r = 0.669**), E. coli (r = 0.617**; r = 0.626**), rotavirus (r = − 0.408**; r = − 0.618**), norovirus (r = − 0.463**; r = − 0.316**), influenza virus (r = − 0.726**; r = − 0.672**), coronavirus (r = − 0.684**; r = − 0.408**), and coxsackievirus (r = 0.654**; r = 0.548**) have been shown to have a high correlation with seasonal changes, specifically in these meteorological factors. Pathogens showing distinct seasonality in the occurrence of infection were observed, and there was a high correlation with the climate characteristics of Gwangju. In particular, viral diseases show strong seasonality, and further research on this matter is needed. Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, quarantine and prevention have become important to block the spread of infectious diseases. For this purpose, studies that predict infectivity through various types of data related to infection are important.
Highlights
The incidence of infectious diseases is decreasing in developed countries, but infectious diseases are still an important cause of death and disease in underprivileged and developing countries with poor sanitation (WHO 2007)
Discussions on the issue of climate change have been active in recent years, wherein the World Health Organization (WHO) went so far as to state that “Climate change is the greatest challenge of the twenty-first century, threatening all aspects of the society in which we live”
Climate change and increased climate variability are more likely to affect vector-borne diseases (Gage et al 2008), and it is predicted that the so-called neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) that are prevalent in underdeveloped countries will be prevalent in developed countries where tropicalization is progressing (El-Sayed and Kamel 2020)
Summary
The incidence of infectious diseases is decreasing in developed countries, but infectious diseases are still an important cause of death and disease in underprivileged and developing countries with poor sanitation (WHO 2007). The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that abnormal weather phenomena caused by global climate change are damaging, affecting society, economy, and politics, and have a great impact on the health of humanity, especially relating to infectious diseases (U.S CDC 2019). To explain the relationship between climate change and infectious diseases, many studies have been conducted on the spread of infectious diseases, reproduction rates, and host migration based on changes in temperature and in the balance of the ecosystem (Lafferty 2009). Climate change affects the incidence, prevalence, and distribution of infectious diseases, and the uncertainty is expected to be high. In this regard, we proposed the construction of an integrated network of environmental and epidemiological data (Semenza and Menne 2009). Until recently, the serious threat to human public health due to climate change was still underestimated (El-Sayed and Kamel 2021)
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