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SARS, MERS and the Sunspot Cycle


Affiliations
1 Department of Infectious Disease Control, Tianjin Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Tianjin CDC), China, China
2 Buckingham University, Buckingham, United Kingdom
 

The severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle-East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreaks pose a serious public health threat because of the high fatality risk. Research on the environmental factors underlying SARS and MERS epidemiology may provide useful insights into the occurrence of such outbreaks. This study suggests that double peaks in the sunspot cycle in 2002 and 2012 were associated with the emergence of SARS and MERS outbreaks. Potential mechanisms by which sunspot activity may influence such outbreaks in humans are discussed. Current and future surveillance efforts should be supported to construct a comprehensive early warning system involving sunspot activity for detecting future SARS and MERS outbreaks as early as possible.
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  • SARS, MERS and the Sunspot Cycle

Abstract Views: 389  |  PDF Views: 124

Authors

Jiangwen Qu
Department of Infectious Disease Control, Tianjin Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Tianjin CDC), China, China
Chandra Wickramasinghe
Buckingham University, Buckingham, United Kingdom

Abstract


The severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle-East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreaks pose a serious public health threat because of the high fatality risk. Research on the environmental factors underlying SARS and MERS epidemiology may provide useful insights into the occurrence of such outbreaks. This study suggests that double peaks in the sunspot cycle in 2002 and 2012 were associated with the emergence of SARS and MERS outbreaks. Potential mechanisms by which sunspot activity may influence such outbreaks in humans are discussed. Current and future surveillance efforts should be supported to construct a comprehensive early warning system involving sunspot activity for detecting future SARS and MERS outbreaks as early as possible.

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv113%2Fi08%2F1501-1502