Background
Influenza seriously affects the health of children, yet little evidence is available on the association between meteorological factors and the occurrence of influenza among children in subtropical regions. The current study aimed to explore the effects of meteorological factors on influenza among children in Guangzhou, a subtropical city in China.
Methods
The distributed lag nonlinear model (
DLNM
) was used to assess the effects of meteorological factors on children influenza occurrence in Guangzhou, China. Daily number of influenza cases among children aged 0‐17 years from 2013 to 2017 were obtained from the National Information System for Disease Control and Prevention.
Results
Mean temperature, relative humidity, and atmospheric pressure were associated with influenza cases. The relative risks (
RR
s) increased as temperature fell below 20°C. The relationship between relative humidity and influenza cases could be described with a U‐shaped curve, and the
RR
s increased if relative humidity was lower than 50% or higher than 80%. The risk of influenza increased with rising atmospheric pressure with 1005
hP
a as the break point. The cold effect, humid effect, dry effect, high‐pressure effect, and low‐pressure effect showed statistical significance both in female and male. The cold effect increased with age. The humid‐effect affects all age ranges of children, but dry effect mainly affected 4‐14 years old. High‐pressure effect mainly affected the 0‐3 years old, whereas low‐pressure effect protected preschool children aged 0‐6 years old.
Conclusion
Mean temperature, relative humidity, and atmospheric pressure might be important predictors of the influenza occurrence among children in Guangzhou.
Key Points
Question
What is the effect of the Lanzhou lamb rotavirus vaccination?
Findings
In this cross-sectional, ecological study of 33 407 patients with rotavirus gastroenteritis from 2007 to 2015 seasons in China, vaccination was associated with a 4-month increase in median age at onset and with delays in onset, peak, and cessation of incidence. The incidence rate ratio among children younger than 4 years and among children ineligible for vaccination decreased as citywide vaccination coverage increased, and the adjusted odds ratio for rotavirus gastroenteritis among unvaccinated infants decreased in areas with higher vaccination coverage.
Meaning
The Lanzhou lamb rotavirus vaccination can provide population health benefits in preventing rotavirus gastroenteritis, including herd effects.
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