The Impact of Temperature Rise and Regional Factors on Malaria Risk

Abstract

The impact of climate change on infectious diseases became one of the major public health interest in Korea. The purpose of this study is to estimate the potential effect of temperature rise on malaria transmission and to improve a prediction model by reflecting regional factors. We used claims data for health care utilization to identify malaria incidence during 2003~2010. Generalized additive model was used to examine the correlations between malaria incidences and meteorological factors. To investigate the impact of temperature on malaria incidence, we adjusted the number of Anopheles mosquitoes, the primary vector for malaria, and the animal hosts as regional factors. There were significant correlations between temperature and malaria incidence by region in Korea. For a daily mean temperature increase of 1°C above the threshold, the relative risk of malaria incidence increased except Jeju-do. When the regional factors like the number of Anopheles mosquitoes and animal hosts were added to the model, relative risks of malaria incidence were lower than those were not adjusted for regional factors in Gangwon-do, Gyeongsangbuk-do, and Chungcheongnam-do. Malaria incidence was correlated with not only meteorological factors but also regional factors in Korea. This implies that malaria incidence could be influenced by temperature rise and regional environment.