Outbreaks of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), which causes a fever and rash in young children, usually occur in the summer months. Similarly, historical cases of polio have been observed in the summer months in the United States. Both diseases are caused by different types of enteroviruses, a large genus of RNA viruses. However, the factors behind the seasonal characteristics of these diseases remained somewhat unclear.
A common group of drivers may explain the timing of HFMD and polio outbreaks, according to a recent study by researchers at Brown University, Princeton University and Johns Hopkins, published July 31 in Nature Communications. In addition, these summer outbreaks may indicate implications for climate change. (Brown University, more at news-medical.net)