Infectious Diseases and Tropical Cyclones in Southeast China.

Jietao Zheng,Baofa Jiang,Ying Zhang,Wei Ma,Weixiao Han

doi:10.3390/ijerph14050494

Abstract

Southeast China is frequently hit by tropical cyclones (TCs) with significant economic and health burdens each year. However, there is a lack of understanding of what infectious diseases could be affected by tropical cyclones. This study aimed to examine the impacts of tropical cyclones on notifiable infectious diseases in southeast China. Disease data between 2005 and 2011 from four coastal provinces in southeast China, including Guangdong, Hainan, Zhejiang, and Fujian province, were collected. Numbers of cases of 14 infectious diseases were compared between risk periods and reference periods for each tropical cyclone. Risk ratios (RRs) were calculated to estimate the risks. TCs were more likely to increase the risk of bacillary dysentery, paratyphoid fever, dengue fever and acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis (ps < 0.05) than to decrease the risk, more likely to decrease the risk of measles, mumps, varicella and vivax malaria (ps < 0.05) than to increase the risk. In conclusion, TCs have mixed effects on the risk of infectious diseases. TCs are more likely to increase the risk of intestinal and contact transmitted infectious diseases than to decrease the risk, and more likely to decrease the risk of respiratory infectious diseases than to increase the risk. Findings of this study would assist in developing public health strategies and interventions for the reduction of the adverse health impacts from tropical cyclones.

Highlights

Tropical cyclones (TCs) are cyclonic currents that occur in tropical or subtropical ocean, often accompanied by high winds, heavy rain and storm surge [1]
TCs can increase the risk of some infectious diseases, such as leptospirosis, dengue, malaria, cholera, other infectious diarrhea, acute respiratory infection and pulmonary tuberculosis [3,4,5,6,7,8]
TCs were more likely to increase the risk of bacillary dysentery (p = 0.001), typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever (p = 0.046), other infectious diarrhea, hepatitis A, influenza, influenza A (H1N1), dengue fever (p = 0.046) and acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis (p = 0.021) than to decrease the risk, more likely to decrease the risk of HFMD, measles (p = 0.005), mumps (p < 0.001), rubella, varicella (p = 0.013), vivax malaria (p = 0.005) and nontypeable malaria than to increase the risk

Summary

Introduction

Tropical cyclones (TCs) are cyclonic currents that occur in tropical or subtropical ocean, often accompanied by high winds, heavy rain and storm surge [1]. They may be called hurricanes in the northeastern Pacific, typhoons in the northwestern Pacific, cyclones in the southern hemisphere. China is one of the countries that are most seriously affected by TCs, putting almost all coastal provinces in high risks. TCs can increase the risk of some infectious diseases, such as leptospirosis, dengue, malaria, cholera, other infectious diarrhea, acute respiratory infection and pulmonary tuberculosis [3,4,5,6,7,8].

Objectives

Methods

Conclusion