High relative humidity might trigger the occurrence of the second seasonal peak of dengue in the Philippines

Zhiwei Xu; Hilary Bambrick; Laith Yakob; Gregor Devine; Francesca D Frentiu; Ferdinand Villanueva Salazar; Ryan Bonsato; Wenbiao Hu

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134849

High relative humidity might trigger the occurrence of the second seasonal peak of dengue in the Philippines

Sci Total Environ. 2020 Mar 15:708:134849. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134849. Epub 2019 Nov 26.

Authors

Zhiwei Xu¹, Hilary Bambrick¹, Laith Yakob², Gregor Devine³, Francesca D Frentiu⁴, Ferdinand Villanueva Salazar⁵, Ryan Bonsato⁵, Wenbiao Hu⁶

Affiliations

¹ School of Public Health and Social Work, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane 4059, Australia; Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane 4059, Australia.
² Department of Disease Control, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London WC1H 9SH, UK.
³ Mosquito Control Laboratory, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane 4006, Australia.
⁴ Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane 4059, Australia; School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane 4059, Australia.
⁵ Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, Muntinlupa City 1781, Philippines.
⁶ School of Public Health and Social Work, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane 4059, Australia; Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane 4059, Australia. Electronic address: w2.hu@qut.edu.au.

PMID: 31806327
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134849

Abstract

Background: Dengue in some regions has a bimodal seasonal pattern, with a first big seasonal peak followed by a second small seasonal peak. The factors associated with the second small seasonal peak remain unclear.

Methods: Monthly data on dengue cases in the Philippines and its 17 regions from 2008 to 2017 were collected and underwent a time series seasonal decomposition analysis. The associations of monthly average mean temperature, average relative humidity, and total rainfall with dengue in 19 provinces were assessed with a generalized additive model. Logistic regression and a classification and regression tree (CART) model were used to identify the factors associated with the second seasonal peak of dengue.

Results: Dengue incidence rate in the Philippines increased substantially in the period 2013-2017, particularly for the regions in south Philippines. Dengue peaks in south Philippines predominantly occurred in August, with the peak in the national capital region (NCR) (i.e., Metropolitan Manila) occurring in September. The association between mean temperature and dengue appeared J-shaped or upside-down-V-shaped, and the association between relative humidity (or rainfall) and dengue was heterogeneous across different provinces (e.g., J shape, reverse J shape, or upside-down V shape, etc). Relative humidity was the only factor associated with the second seasonal peak of dengue (odds ratio: 1.144; 95% confidence interval: 1.023-1.279; threshold: 77%).

Conclusions: Dengue control and prevention resources are increasingly required in regions beyond the NCR, and relative humidity can be used as a predictor of the second seasonal peak of dengue in the Philippines.

Keywords: Dengue; Relative humidity; Second seasonal peak.

MeSH terms

Dengue*
Humans
Humidity
Incidence
Philippines
Seasons
Temperature