Meteorological factors exhibited distinct spatial heterogeneity in their impact on EV71 and CV-A16 prevalence, with low mean temperatures promoting viral epidemics in the short term.
Observational (n=261,434)
Meteorological factors, particularly low mean temperatures, significantly impact the short-term incidence of EV71 and CV-A16 infections in Fujian Province, exhibiting spatial heterogeneity.
OBJECTIVE: Investigating the impact of meteorological factors on the incidence of the main pathogens of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) in Fujian Province, China, through spatiotemporal feature analysis and the construction of a distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM). METHODS: HFMD and its major pathogens enterovirus 71 (EV71) and coxsackie virus A16 (CV-A16) data from January 2017 to December 2020 in Fujian Province were obtained through the statutory infectious disease reporting surveillance system of China, and meteorological data were obtained from the national scientific meteorological data center of China. Correlation analysis was used to select meteorological variables. DLNM was constructed to investigate the impact of meteorological factors on the prevalence of EV71 and CV-A16. RESULTS: During the study period, a total of 261,434 confirmed cases of HFMD were reported in Fujian Province, with an annual incidence rate ranging from 67.62 to 243.57 per 100,000 population. The temporal distribution indicated a bimodal pattern of HFMD cases from 2017 to 2019. In 2020, HFMD cases and incidence rate significantly decreased. Spatial distribution analysis revealed that infections were predominantly concentrated in the southwestern region of Fujian, and a decreasing trend in incidence rate with increasing latitude. Correlation analysis indicated that the highest temperature (Tmax), lowest temperature (Tmin), mean temperature (MT), precipitation (PRE) and relative humidity (RHU) were positively correlated with infections, while atmospheric pressure (PRS) was negatively correlated. Analysis results from the DLNM showed that the relative risk of EV71 and CV-A16 associated with MT across various prefecture-level cities in Fujian exhibited an inverted "U" shape or a linear relationship, with a "harvesting" phenomenon observed at low MT levels. CONCLUSION: The impact of meteorological factors on the incidence of EV71 and CV-A16 exhibits spatial heterogeneity. Low MT can promote viral epidemics in the short term.
Fan et al. (Sat,) conducted a observational in Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) (n=261,434). Meteorological factors (temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure) was evaluated on Incidence of EV71 and CV-A16 infections. Meteorological factors exhibited distinct spatial heterogeneity in their impact on EV71 and CV-A16 prevalence, with low mean temperatures promoting viral epidemics in the short term.