Did socio-ecological factors drive the spatiotemporal patterns of pandemic influenza A (H1N1)?

Wenbiao Hu*, Gail Williams, Hai Phung, Frances Birrell, Shilu Tong, Kerrie Mengersen, Xiaodong Huang, Archie Clements

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

18 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background: Pandemic influenza A (H1N1) has a significant public health impact. This study aimed to examine the effect of socio-ecological factors on the transmission of H1N1 in Brisbane, Australia. 

Methodology: We obtained data from Queensland Health on numbers of laboratory-confirmed daily H1N1 in Brisbane by statistical local areas (SLA) in 2009. Data on weather and socio-economic index were obtained from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and the Australian Bureau of Statistics, respectively. A Bayesian spatial conditional autoregressive (CAR) model was used to quantify the relationship between variation of H1N1 and independent factors and to determine its spatiotemporal patterns. 

Results: Our results show that average increase in weekly H1N1 cases were 45.04% (95% credible interval (CrI): 42.63-47.43%) and 23.20% (95% CrI: 16.10-32.67%), for a 1 °C decrease in average weekly maximum temperature at a lag of one week and a 10. mm decrease in average weekly rainfall at a lag of one week, respectively. An interactive effect between temperature and rainfall on H1N1 incidence was found (changes: 0.71%; 95% CrI: 0.48-0.98%). The auto-regression term was significantly associated with H1N1 transmission (changes: 2.5%; 95% CrI: 1.39-3.72). No significant association between socio-economic indexes for areas (SEIFA) and H1N1 was observed at SLA level. 

Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that average weekly temperature at lag of one week and rainfall at lag of one week were substantially associated with H1N1 incidence at a SLA level. The ecological factors seemed to have played an important role in H1N1 transmission cycles in Brisbane, Australia.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)39-43
Number of pages5
JournalEnvironment international
Volume45
Early online date08 May 2012
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 15 Sept 2012
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Bayesian spatial conditional autoregressive
  • H1N1
  • Socio-ecological factors

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Environmental Science

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Did socio-ecological factors drive the spatiotemporal patterns of pandemic influenza A (H1N1)?'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this