Are extremes in weather changing virus behaviour and disease patterns or are they altering our immune response to infection? The study found that heat-exposure severely lowered the immune response virus-specific CD8 T-cells and antibody responses following respiratory influenza virus infection. Influenza virus subtypes are distinguished by their antigenic properties of two surface glycoproteins: haemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N), which promote and coordinate host cell entry and exit, respectively. Containing outbreaks in congested urban clusters will become an increasingly bigger challenge. The other is identifying and containing potential outbreaks quickly through public information campaigns, infection-control measures, treating complicated cases quickly and vaccinating, when possible, health workers and those at most risk.

Source: Hindustan Times February 17, 2019 08:15 UTC