write an article on monsoon impact on coronavirus spread
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Some months ago, when the novel coronavirus epidemic was still emerging in India, it was hoped that rising temperature in the summer months would weaken the potency of the virus and slow down its spread. That did not happen. Now that the monsoon season is here, the likely impact of rain on the virus, and its transmission, is the subject of discussion.
Since it is a new virus, scientists are not yet sure how the rain might affect its behaviour. So the effort is to look for clues in the way other similar viruses behave during the rainy season.
Since the emergence of a novel coronavirus, it has been an on and off debate on how the virus will react to the changing weather parameters. Earlier, many global leaders as well as a few in the scientific community across the globe pinned their hopes on the summer months. The reduced potential of viruses to survive and spread in the hot and humid conditions offered some hope.
“Respiratory virus infections usually drop dramatically in warmer temperatures as they curtail the duration of virus persistence in the environment, as well as its transmission,” said Dr. Prabhakar is currently the Associate Dean and Professor at the University of Illinois, Chicago, USA to The Weather Channel. “However, emerging evidence indicates that COVID-19 infection is not slowing down (even in summer months),” added Dr Prabhakar.
Even in India, the hopes of novel coronavirus disappearing during the hot summer months of April and May—among the hottest on Earth—faded away as the numbers kept rising. As of June 16, the number of cases stand at 3.43 lakh—making in India the fourth worst-affected country in the world.
On June 1, the southwest monsoon arrived on Indian mainland and has progressed rapidly up to Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh over the past 16 days. The season which marks the drop in mercury levels, brings widespread rainfall and increases the humidity level across the country. Now, people have started to wonder can the monsoon rains wash away the deadly virus. According to experts, the answer is still uncertain.
Intricate link between the humidity and coronavirus
The spread of any viral infection depends mainly on three factors—seasonal changes, human behavioural patterns, and characteristics of the virus. The COVID-19 is a respiratory illness with similar symptoms like influenza flu, and the cases of seasonal flu are said to increase during the monsoon months. Some of the previous research studies have highlighted that influenza and SARS viruses thrive in lower temperatures and humidity.
According to a study conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, humid weather during the monsoon can enhance the spread of novel coronavirus. For the study, researchers examined the life of droplets released by COVID-19 patients via cough or sneeze. The study, published in the journal American Institute of Physics, indicates that hot and dry weather evaporates the infected droplets easily, thus reducing the risk of further spread.
Several other research studies across the world have shown that higher humidity levels helps the novel coronavirus to survive longer and spread faster. While another research study, published in the journal Canadian Medical Association Journal, looked at 144 geopolitical areas around the world and showed that parameters like temperature and latitude are not associated with the spread of COVID-19. The researchers also added that they found a weak association between humidity and reduced transmission.
Monsoon season remains a testing time
There is no conclusive evidence yet on the extent to which weather parameters affect the spread of the novel coronavirus, despite an established knowledge that temperature and humidity affects the virus SARS-CoV-2. One thing has been clear, a multitude of factors affect the spread of this deadly virus, and weather parameters can’t alone stop or spike the spread.
While scientists continue to look into the COVID-19 disease progression during the monsoon months, it is essential to continue all social distancing and hygiene practices. The only way forward to conclusively understand the COVID-19 spread with respect to different seasons is to carry out year-round surveillance for at least a few more years.
The evidence around humidity and the virus appear grim, but there is one silver lining. During the rainy season, people tend to spend more time indoors and therefore, the virus spread can be limited. Moreover, spitting on the streets—one of the most common concerns that can enhance the risk of virus transmission—may not be a factor during monsoons as rains can easily wash away the infected droplets.
The monsoon season also brings along the burden of catching other flu like influenza and vector-borne diseases like malaria and dengue. If not addressed, it can put additional pressure on the health care infrastructure of the country, which is already under a huge stress. Prevention is, therefore, the best cure.
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