Urbanization prolongs the outbreak of animal-origin infectious diseases

On April 18, Tian Waiyu, a teacher at Beijing Normal University's Institute of Global Change and Earth System Science, worked with teams from Hunan Normal University, Hunan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Oslo University in Norway
, revealing that rapid urbanization will prolong the duration of the outbreak of renal syndrome haemorrhagic fever (HFRS) in China, and pointing out the two opposite mechanisms that the rapid urbanization of China's rapid economic development will cause to the outbreak of animal-based infectious diseases.
In the past half century, with the rapid development of China's economy, urbanization has been accelerating, and the spread of infectious diseases caused by urbanization, as well as the potential impact of corresponding disease control strategies on disease incidence, has been widely concerned. On the one hand, urbanization may have influenced the pattern of infectious diseases, such as the "urban punishment" of many cities in Europe in the 19th century, which resulted in more deaths than births, and urban growth could only be supplemented by migrant populations.
, on the other hand, urbanization tends to improve infrastructure and health, improve health care, and is widely believed to contribute to overall health improvements. Therefore, the relationship between urbanization and public health is very complex, at present, we still lack a systematic understanding of the relationship between urbanization process and infectious diseases.
nephrosis haemorrhagic fever is an infectious disease caused by the infection of Hantan virus, which is classified as a legally reported infectious disease in China because of its fast spread, serious illness and high fatality rate. The Hantan virus is mainly hosted by rodents and spreads in the air with the excretion, saliva and urine of infected animals, and humans are infected mainly by inhaling contaminated air. Due to different virus subtypes, clinical manifestations vary widely, and mortality rates range from 0.5% to 40%. The total number of reported cases of the disease in our country has exceeded 1.4 million, accounting for 90 per cent of the total number of cases worldwide.
epidemiological evidence suggests that humans are more exposed to virus-carrying rodents and at higher risk of contracting disease in areas with frequent population movements, high density and poor housing conditions. However, Tian Andyu and his collaborators found that the prevalence of renal syndrome haemorrhagic fever was consistent with urban expansion and population mobility, while the incidence of HFRS and urbanization level had a two-stage inverted U-shaped relationship, and the turning point of the epidemic was related to the urban economic growth rate. Studies have revealed the interrelations between urbanization, population movements and the Hantan virus epidemic, providing a possible explanation for the prolongation of outbreaks in high-speed cities. (Source: Science Network Cui Xueqin)