Local Weather Conditions Can Impact Prevalence Of Tuberculosis: Study

Researchers who mapped tuberculosis cases in African countries found that local weather conditions and access to cities can influence prevalence of the bacterial disease.

The study's methodology of identifying disease patterns could help fight tuberculosis in a more targeted manner around the world -- particularly in regions where resources are limited, they said.

Tuberculosis (TB) mostly affects the lungs and can be deadly if untreated. The disease -- symptoms of which include persistent cough, chest pain and fever -- spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

Focusing on 14 nations, including Nigeria and Mozambique, the team, including researchers from Curtin University and The Kids Research Institute Australia, analysed prevalence of tuberculosis from 50 population-based surveys, involving over 15 lakh people.

The researchers estimated how common the disease is at a local level, breaking each country down into grids, each five square kilometres in area, to identify hotspots.

"Here we estimate 1.28 million TB cases across 14 countries, with marked spatial variations," the authors wrote in the study published in the journal Communications Medicine.

"Factors such as temperature, precipitation, and access to cities are positively associated with higher TB prevalence, while higher altitude is linked to lower TB prevalence," they wrote.

For example, rainfall tends to keep one spends indoors, thereby increasing person-to-person contact, crowding, and affecting ventilation levels -- all of which have been linked to spreading of tuberculosis, the researchers explained.

Lead researcher Alemneh Liyew, PhD candidate from Curtin University's school of population health, said the study uncovered dramatic differences in disease burden between local regions within countries -- which could prove vital in reducing the impact of tuberculosis.

"This study highlights how factors such as higher temperatures, rainfall, altitude and better access to cities can influence the prevalence of tuberculosis.

"With this data, health resources can be better targeted towards the communities that need them most," Liyew said.

The study is also the first to provide local-level tuberculosis maps across Africa, the researcher said.

"Until now, we haven't been able to see where within countries the disease is most concentrated," Liyew said.

Author Kefyalew Alene, associate professor Curtin University, said the study's findings could potentially help fight the disease outside of Africa.

"While some aspects of the study are Africa-specific, using mapping to identify patterns associated with tuberculosis could help battle the disease in a more targeted manner elsewhere," Alene said.

"One-size-fits-all national strategies aren't as effective, particularly in regions where resources are limited," the researcher said.

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