Risk Factors for Respiratory Viral Infections: A Spotlight on Climate Change and Air Pollution

Burbank, Allison J.

doi:10.2147/jaa.s364845

Cited by 18 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 113 publications

(144 reference statements)

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“…The highest increase was seen for PM 2.5 , a pollutant strongly associated with airway in ammation and childhood asthma [40,41]. In addition to the risk of asthma exacerbation, exposure to air pollution has also been linked to increased susceptibility to viral respiratory infections, including SARS-CoV-2 [42]. It is as such di cult to estimate the relative importance of different environmental factors in this study and we hypothesize that different factors contributed and interacted.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Wheezing Episodes in Children Before and After the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Brussels

Delporte,

Bruwaene,

Bruffaerts

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Purpose: Studies have demonstrated important changes in the seasonality of pediatric respiratory illnesses since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiology of childhood wheezing episodes before and after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in relation to their potentially associated environmental triggers. Methods: Files of all children treated with salbutamol for a wheezing episode in September and October 2019, 2020 and 2021 were retrospectively reviewed. Infection epidemiology, daily concentrations of air pollutants (NO2, O3, PM10 and PM2.5) and fungal spores were collected over the same time period. Results: In 2021, 298 episodes of wheezing were observed compared to 111 in 2020 and 86 in 2019 (p<0.001). Compared to 2019, children with wheezing in 2021 were significantly older (p<0.001), less likely to have a history of recurrent wheezing (p<0.001) and required less hospitalization (p=0.034). Adenovirus and SARS-CoV-2 were more prevalent in 2021 as compared to 2019 (p<0.001). The concentration of PM10, PM2.5 and O3 was higher in 2021, as compared to both 2019 and 2020 (p<0.001) while the concentration of NO2 and airborne spores was lower in 2021 compared to 2019 (p<0.0001). Conclusion: A threefold increase in wheezing episodes was observed in the autumn post-COVID (2021) compared to pre-COVID (2019) together with a significant increase in some viruses and most air pollutants. We hypothesize that this abnormal surge may be related to the release of restrictions with rapid spread of viruses in children who were exposed to high levels of air pollution.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Wheezing Episodes in Children Before and After the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Brussels

Delporte,

Bruwaene,

Bruffaerts

et al. 2024

Preprint

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“…If weather is less relevant to circulation than previously believed, some surges (in very young infants or immunocompromized groups) should be expected more frequently throughout the year. Furthermore, as summer peaks are clearly possible for some of them, global changes in weather might alter viral dynamics in ways that are difficult to predict, which is particularly relevant in the context of climate change [ 77 , 78 ]. Further analysis on the effects of weather and behaviour on NIRVs is in order, both in laboratory and epidemiological settings, to inform models and allow simulation of different complex scenarios and interactions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of weather and mobility on respiratory viruses dynamics before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in the USA and Canada

Varela-Lasheras,

Perfeito,

Mesquita

et al. 2023

PLOS Digit Health

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The flu season is caused by a combination of different pathogens, including influenza viruses (IVS), that cause the flu, and non-influenza respiratory viruses (NIRVs), that cause common colds or influenza-like illness. These viruses exhibit similar dynamics and meteorological conditions have historically been regarded as a principal modulator of their epidemiology, with outbreaks in the winter and almost no circulation during the summer, in temperate regions. However, after the emergence of SARS-CoV2, in late 2019, the dynamics of these respiratory viruses were strongly perturbed worldwide: some infections displayed near-eradication, while others experienced temporal shifts or occurred “off-season”. This disruption raised questions regarding the dominant role of weather while also providing an unique opportunity to investigate the roles of different determinants on the epidemiological dynamics of IVs and NIRVs. Here, we employ statistical analysis and modelling to test the effects of weather and mobility in viral dynamics, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Leveraging epidemiological surveillance data on several respiratory viruses, from Canada and the USA, from 2016 to 2023, we found that whereas in the pre-COVID-19 pandemic period, weather had a strong effect, in the pandemic period the effect of weather was strongly reduced and mobility played a more relevant role. These results, together with previous studies, indicate that behavioral changes resulting from the non-pharmacological interventions implemented to control SARS-CoV2, interfered with the dynamics of other respiratory viruses, and that the past dynamical equilibrium was disturbed, and perhaps permanently altered, by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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“…Epidemics involving viral RTIs have always vary in regional intensity and duration -This is thought to be due to the genetic diversity of circulating viruses and their respective virulence. Climatic changes also seem to impact on virus spread (7,19,20). Numerous studies have shown that NPIs reduce the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory pathogens (21).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Old foes following news ways? - Pandemic-related changes in the epidemiology of viral respiratory tract infections

Maison

Omony

Rinderknecht

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Introduction Following lockdown periods and restricting public health measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, respiratory tract infections (RTIs) rose significantly worldwide. This led to an increased burden on children's hospitals compromising medical care of acutely and chronically ill children. We characterized changes in the epidemiological pattern of circulating respiratory viral infections. Methods We assessed the number of patients with RTIs and the annual distribution of virus detections between 2019 and 2022 based on 4809 clinical samples (4131 patients) from a German pediatric tertiary care-center. We investigated the impact of lockdown periods on spectra of circulating respiratory viruses, pattern of coinfections, age, and seasonality of infections. Results A fourfold increase in the number of respiratory virus detections was observed in 2019 vs 2022 with numbers doubling in 2022 (vs 2021). In 2022, seasonal patterns of virus circulation were less pronounced and appeared to have disappeared for Rhino/Enterovirus. SARS-CoV-2, Parainfluenza- and human Metapneumovirus detections increased significantly in 2022 (2019 vs 2022, p < 0.01). Coinfections with multiple viruses occurred more frequently since 2021 compared to pre-pandemic years, especially in younger children (2019 vs 2022, p < 0.01). Conclusion Compared to pre-pandemic years, we observed a dramatic increase in pediatric RTIs with an incrementing spectrum of viruses and a predominance in Rhino/Enterovirus infections – leading to a high rate of hospital admissions, particularly in conjunction with other viruses. This caused an acute shortage in medical care and may also be followed by an increase of virus-triggered secondary chronic respiratory diseases like asthma - rendering a burden on the health system.

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Risk Factors for Respiratory Viral Infections: A Spotlight on Climate Change and Air Pollution

Cited by 18 publications

References 113 publications

Wheezing Episodes in Children Before and After the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Brussels

Wheezing Episodes in Children Before and After the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Brussels

The effects of weather and mobility on respiratory viruses dynamics before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in the USA and Canada

Old foes following news ways? - Pandemic-related changes in the epidemiology of viral respiratory tract infections

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