Issue |
Parasite
Volume 23, 2016
|
|
---|---|---|
Article Number | 54 | |
Number of page(s) | 7 | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/parasite/2016065 | |
Published online | 01 December 2016 |
Research Article
The effects of climate factors on scabies. A 14-year population-based study in Taiwan
Les effets des facteurs climatiques sur la gale. Une étude de 14 ans sur la population à Taiwan
1
Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Taoyuan General Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare, 330
Taoyuan, Taiwan
2
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, 110
Tapei, Taiwan
3
Division of Infection Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, 235
Tapei, Taiwan
4
Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, 114
Tapei, Taiwan
5
Department of Emergency Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, 100
Tapei, Taiwan
6
Department of Emergency Medicine, Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, 235
Tapei, Taiwan
7
Superintendent Office, Ningbo Medical Center, Lihuili Eastern Hospital, Ningbo City, 315000
Zhejiang Province, PR China
8
Department of Internal Medicine, Lo-Hsu Medical Foundation, Lotung Poh-Ai Hospital, 265
Luodong, Taiwan
9
Graduate Institute of Food Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, 106
Tapei, Taiwan
10
Institute of Biotechnology, National Taiwan University, 106
Tapei, Taiwan
11
Graduate Institute of Life Sciences, National Defense Medical Center, 114
Tapei, Taiwan
12
Department of Pathology and Graduate Institute of Pathology and Parasitology, the Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, 114
Tapei, Taiwan
13
Biobank Management Center of the Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, 114
Tapei, Taiwan
* Corresponding author: hsurnai@gmail.com
Received:
4
August
2016
Accepted:
20
November
2016
Scabies is a common infectious disease and can cause severe outbreaks if not controlled quickly. Besides personal contact history, environmental factors are also important. This study analyzed the effects of environmental climate factors on the incidence of scabies in Taiwan. We conducted a 14-year nationwide population-based study: a total of 14,883 patients with scabies infestation were enrolled. Monthly climate data were collected from Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau, including data on temperature, relative humidity, total rainfall, total rain days, and total sunshine hours. The linear relationships between these climate factors and scabies infestations or other risk factors were examined by Pearson’s correlation analysis. Overall, the incidence of scabies was negatively correlated with temperature (γ = −0.152, p < 0.001), while being positively correlated with humidity (γ = 0.192, p < 0.001). This useful information may provide evidence for lowering humidity at nursing facilities, hospitals, and military camps with scabies infestations, which may help to reduce its spread and prevent outbreaks.
Résumé
La gale est une maladie infectieuse courante et peut causer des épidémies sévères si elle n’est pas contrôlée rapidement. Outre l’historique de contact personnel, les facteurs environnementaux sont également importants. Cette étude a analysé les effets des facteurs climatiques environnementaux sur l’incidence de la gale à Taiwan. Nous avons mené une étude nationale de 14 ans sur la population : un total de 14883 patients atteints d’infestation par la gale ont été enrôlés. Les données mensuelles sur le climat ont été recueillies auprès du Bureau Central Météorologique de Taiwan, y compris la température, l’humidité relative, les précipitations totales, le total des jours de pluie et le total d’heures d’ensoleillement. Les relations linéaires entre ces facteurs climatiques et les infestations de gale ou d’autres facteurs de risque ont été examinées par l’analyse de corrélation de Pearson. Dans l’ensemble, l’incidence de la gale était corrélée négativement à la température (γ = −0.152, p < 0.001), tout en étant positivement corrélée à l’humidité relative (γ = 0.192, p < 0.001). Cette information utile peut fournir une indication pour abaisser l’humidité dans les établissements de soins infirmiers, les hôpitaux et les camps militaires avec des infestations de gale, ce qui peut aider à réduire sa propagation et prévenir les épidémies.
Key words: Climate / Scabies / Taiwan / Population studies / National Health Insurance Research Database
© J.-M. Liu et al., published by EDP Sciences, 2016
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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