Topic Editors

School of Public Health and Social Work, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia
Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Xi’an Jiaotong University College of Medicine, Xi'an 710061, China

Ecosystem Change, Infectious Diseases Transmission and Early Warning

Abstract submission deadline
30 June 2023
Manuscript submission deadline
31 August 2023
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Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

Infectious disease transmission is associated with significant health, economic, and social consequences. Understanding of the ecosystem change that drives infectious disease transmission is useful to develop climate- and weather-driven early warning systems. Development of spatial and temporal models to link socioenvironmental factors constitutes a novel approach to improving infectious disease surveillance and control efforts. We invite investigators to contribute review articles as well as original research articles that focus on environmental change and infectious disease transmission.

The topics should help to further understand the impact of social and environmental factors on infectious disease transmission. Potential topics include but are not limited to:

  1. Application articles in environmental changes and infectious disease transmission, such as identifying and modeling the impacts of weather and climate variability on infectious disease transmission;
  2. Methodological articles that outline new developments in the areas of geographic information system, time series, and spatial modeling in environmental health and infectious diseases;
  3. Review articles shedding insights into environmental change and infectious disease transmission.

Prof. Dr. Wenbiao Hu
Dr. Xin Qi
Topic Editors

Keywords

  • infectious disease transmission
  • weather variability
  • environmental change
  • climate change
  • time series analysis
  • spatial epidemiology
  • forecast
  • bushfires
  • floods
  • heatwaves

Participating Journals

Journal Name Impact Factor CiteScore Launched Year First Decision (median) APC
Atmosphere
atmosphere
3.110 3.7 2010 14.7 Days 2000 CHF Submit
Infectious Disease Reports
idr
- 1.4 2009 22.7 Days 1400 CHF Submit
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
ijerph
- 4.5 2004 20.1 Days 2500 CHF Submit
Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease
tropicalmed
3.711 4.8 2016 15.1 Days 2000 CHF Submit
Viruses
viruses
5.818 6.6 2009 15.6 Days 2600 CHF Submit

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Article
Mapping the Spatiotemporal Distribution of Bovine Rabies in Colombia, 2005–2019
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2022, 7(12), 406; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed7120406 - 29 Nov 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 912
Abstract
Introduction: Rabies is caused by a virus belonging to the genus Lyssavirus and family Rhabdoviridae, which can infect any mammal including humans. Hematophagous, fructivorous, and insectivorous bats have become the main reservoir of sylvatic rabies in Latin America. In the sylvatic cycle, hematophagous [...] Read more.
Introduction: Rabies is caused by a virus belonging to the genus Lyssavirus and family Rhabdoviridae, which can infect any mammal including humans. Hematophagous, fructivorous, and insectivorous bats have become the main reservoir of sylvatic rabies in Latin America. In the sylvatic cycle, hematophagous bats are usually the main reservoir. In contrast, dogs and cats fulfil this critical role in the urban cycle. However, in rural areas, the most affected animals are bovines. They show clinical signs such as behavioural changes, hypersalivation, muscle tremors, spasms caused by extensive damage to the central nervous system, and death from respiratory paralysis. Objective: To describe the spatiotemporal distribution of bovine rabies in Colombia from 2005 to 2019. Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional descriptive observational study, based on the monthly reports of the Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA) on the surveillance of bovine rabies in Colombia from 2005 to 2019, retrieved from its official website. The data were converted to databases in Microsoft Access 365®. Multiple epidemiological maps were developed with the GIS software Kosmo RC1® 3.0 coupled to the shape files (.shp) of all the country’s municipalities. Results: During the study period, 4888 cases of rabies were confirmed in cattle, ranging from a peak of 542 cases (11.1%) in 2014 to 43 in 2019 (0.88%). From 2014 to 2019, there has been a significant reduction in the annual national number of cases (r2 = 0.9509, p < 0.05). In 2019, 32.6% of the cases occurred in January, and 48.8% occurred in the department of Sucre. In 2009, the maximum number of spatial clusters (13) occurred in the Orinoquia region, where other clusters were also identified in 2005, 2006 and 2008. In 2018, 98 outbreaks were identified that led to the death of cattle and other animals, 28.6% of them in the department of Sucre. In the first half of 2019, of 38 outbreaks, 55.2% were identified in Sucre. Conclusions: It is necessary to review the current national program for the prevention and control of rabies in cattle, incorporating concepts from the ecology of bats, as well as the prediction of contagion waves of geographical and temporal spread in the context of the OneHealth Approach. Sylvatic rabies remains a threat in Colombia that requires further study. Full article
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Review
The COVID-19 Impact on the Trends in Yellow Fever and Lassa Fever Infections in Nigeria
Infect. Dis. Rep. 2022, 14(6), 932-941; https://doi.org/10.3390/idr14060091 - 21 Nov 2022
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Abstract
Lassa fever (LF) and yellow fever (YF) belong to a group of viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs). These viruses have common features and damages the organs and blood vessels; they also impair the body’s homeostasis. Some VHFs cause mild disease, while some cause severe [...] Read more.
Lassa fever (LF) and yellow fever (YF) belong to a group of viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs). These viruses have common features and damages the organs and blood vessels; they also impair the body’s homeostasis. Some VHFs cause mild disease, while some cause severe disease and death such as in the case of Ebola or Marburg. LF virus and YF virus are two of the most recent emerging viruses in Africa, resulting in severe hemorrhagic fever in humans. Lassa fever virus is continuously on the rise both in Nigeria and neighboring countries in West Africa, with an estimate of over 500,000 cases of LF, and 5000 deaths, annually. YF virus is endemic in temperate climate regions of Africa, Central America (Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador), and South America (such as Brazil, Argentina, Peru, and Chile) with an annual estimated cases of 200,000 and 30,000 deaths globally. This review examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the trend in epidemiology of these two VHFs to delineate responses that are associated with protective or pathogenic outcomes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Topic Ecosystem Change, Infectious Diseases Transmission and Early Warning)
(This article belongs to the Section Viral Infections)
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Article
Genetic Evolution Analysis and Host Characteristics of Hantavirus in Yunnan Province, China
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(20), 13433; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192013433 - 18 Oct 2022
Viewed by 815
Abstract
For a long time, the epidemic situation of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) caused by hantavirus (HV) in Yunnan Province of China has been relatively severe. The molecular epidemiology and host characteristics of HV in Yunnan Province are still not completely clear, [...] Read more.
For a long time, the epidemic situation of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) caused by hantavirus (HV) in Yunnan Province of China has been relatively severe. The molecular epidemiology and host characteristics of HV in Yunnan Province are still not completely clear, and the systematic and long-term investigation of the epidemic area is very limited. In this study, a total of 488 murine-shaped animals were captured in the three regions of Mile City, Mangshi City and Lianghe County in Yunnan Province, and then the type of HV was identified by multiplex real-time RT-PCR and sequenced. The results indicate that 2.46% of the murine-shaped animal specimens were infected with HV. A new subtype of Seoul virus (SEOV) was found in the rare rat species Rattus nitidus in Lianghe County, and the two strains of this new subtype were named YNLH-K40 and YNLH-K53. Through the phylogenetic analysis of this new subtype, it is shown that this new subtype is very similar to the type S5 of SEOV, which is previously described as the main cause for the high incidence of HFRS in Longquan City, Zhejiang Province, China. This new subtype is highly likely to cause human infection and disease. Therefore, in addition to further promoting the improvement of the HV gene database and strengthening the discovery and monitoring of the host animals in Yunnan Province, more attention should be paid to the pathogenic potential of the newly discovered HV type. Full article
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