In the United States, the winter is generally considered ‘flu season’ and is when we see it most widespread. With the threat of a potential swine flu epidemic, analysts are trying to determine if the weather will play any factor in the spread of the virus.
The flu is spread through contact with an infected person or pig, typically through coughing or sneezing. In the winter, when most people in temperate regions like the United States are spending time indoors in closed environments and in close quarters with those that are infected, it is thought that the flu can be transmitted easier. The water droplets containing the virus are slower to evaporate in cooler weather thus remaining airborne for longer periods of time and increasing chances of others becoming infected.
Outbreaks can and do occur in the tropics however research indicates they occur with less frequency in places that do not have the seasonality that other areas do. Limited laboratory and health data from regions like Africa and Latin America have made it more difficult to track the spread of viruses and thus learn from it.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Monday that it hoped drier and warmer weather would help stifle the effects of the swine flu. The organization is asking health authorities to work with weather services to assess the role of weather and the climate in the outbreak as this is an aspect that is not fully known. WMO spokeswoman Gaelle Sevenier said , “The transmission patterns of this particular influenza and its possible seasonality are as yet not adequately understood and are the subject of ongoing investigations.”
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