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Using the empirical dynamic modeling (EDM) approach developed by Scripps ecologist George Sugihara and colleagues, the scientists analyzed nearly 20 years of global influenza data from the World Health Organization's Global Health Atlas to uncover a positive association between flu outbreaks, absolute humidity, which is the amount of moisture in the air, and temperature across all latitudes. The study, led by Scripps postdoctoral researcher Ethan Deyle, found a critical temperature window of 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit (21-24 degrees Celsius). Humidity levels above and below the temperature window become a key factor in the spread of the virus.
According to the researchers, "with further laboratory testing, these population-level results could help set the stage for public health initiatives such as placing humidifiers in schools and hospitals during cold, dry, temperate winters and in the tropics, perhaps using dehumidifiers or air conditioners set above 75° F to dry air in public buildings." The study's findings were published on Oct. 31 in the early online edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"The analysis allowed us to see what environmental factors were driving influenza," said Sugihara, the McQuown Chair Distinguished Professor of Natural Science and a coauthor of the study. "We found that it wasn't one factor by itself, but temperature and humidity together."
An abstract is available: Ethan R. Deyle et al, Global environmental drivers of influenza, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2016). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1607747113.
Maybe they can kill two birds with one stone and use the water pulled out of the air by dehumidifiers to fill water coolers or flush toilets.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 04 2016, @11:48PM
The statement they made is that it is known from other work* that the virus cannot be transmitted as an aerosol above that temperature. This is why the effect of humidity drops to zero at that temperature. They said that for temperatures between 75 F and 85 F, the virus would dry out unless the humidity is high. I didn't dig into the paper far enough to see if the level of humidity that enables transmission at 85 F was near 100% or something lower.
From the paper:
>"In cold environments, the viral envelope is prone to disruption; hence, drier air (low AH) promotes the spread of influenza when temperature is low. In warm environments, the viral envelope is prone to desiccation; hence, wetter air (high AH) promotes the spread of influenza when temperature is high. The EDM analysis suggests that this tradeoff between positive and negative effects happens in the neighborhood of 24 °C (75 °F)."
They also indicated that high humidity at cold temperatures was not as effective in reducing transmission as low humidity is at the higher temperatures.
* >"Lowen AC, Steel J, Mubareka S, Palese P
(2008) High temperature (30 degrees C) blocks aerosol but not contact transmission of influenza virus. J Virol 82(11):5650–5652."