| Title: |
Rainfall Anomalies and Typhoid Fever in Blantyre, Malawi. |
| Authors: |
Gauld, Jillian S; Bilima, Sithembile; Diggle, Peter J; Feasey, Nicholas; Read, Jonathan M |
| Source: |
Epidemiology and Infection, Vol 150, Issue e122, pp. 1-6. |
| Publisher Information: |
Cambridge University Publisher |
| Publication Year: |
2022 |
| Collection: |
LSTM Online Archive (Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine) |
| Subject Terms: |
WB 700 Medical climatology. Geography of disease; WC 270 Typhoid fever; WD 600 General works |
| Description: |
Typhoid fever is a major cause of illness and mortality in low- and middle-income settings. We investigated the association of typhoid fever and rainfall in Blantyre, Malawi, where multi-drug-resistant typhoid has been transmitting since 2011. Peak rainfall preceded the peak in typhoid fever by approximately 15 weeks [95% confidence interval (CI) 13.3, 17.7], indicating no direct biological link. A quasi-Poisson generalised linear modelling framework was used to explore the relationship between rainfall and typhoid incidence at biologically plausible lags of 1–4 weeks. We found a protective effect of rainfall anomalies on typhoid fever, at a two-week lag (P = 0.006), where a 10 mm lower-than-expected rainfall anomaly was associated with up to a 16% reduction in cases (95% CI 7.6, 26.5). Extreme flooding events may cleanse the environment of S. Typhi, while unusually low rainfall may reduce exposure from sewage overflow. These results add to evidence that rainfall anomalies may play a role in the transmission of enteric pathogens, and can help direct future water and sanitation intervention strategies for the control of typhoid fever. |
| Document Type: |
article in journal/newspaper |
| File Description: |
text |
| Language: |
English |
| Relation: |
https://archive.lstmed.ac.uk/20461/1/rainfall-anomalies-and-typhoid-fever-in-blantyre-malawi.pdf; Gauld, Jillian S, Bilima, Sithembile, Diggle, Peter J, Feasey, Nicholas orcid:0000-0003-4041-1405 and Read, Jonathan M (2022) 'Rainfall Anomalies and Typhoid Fever in Blantyre, Malawi.'. Epidemiology and Infection, Vol 150, Issue e122, pp. 1-6. |
| DOI: |
10.1017/S0950268822000759 |
| Availability: |
https://archive.lstmed.ac.uk/20461/; https://doi.org/10.1017/S0950268822000759 |
| Rights: |
cc_by_4 |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.4B430D49 |
| Database: |
BASE |