"It seems that the influenza virus' ability to survive and be
transmitted person-to-person is greatly affected by how dry or
wet the air is," says Jeffrey Shaman, Ph.D., an atmospheric
scientist at Oregon State University in Corvallis, who
specializes in ties between climate and disease transmission,
and a co-author of the new study. This introduces a whole new
world of research possibilities that are just fresh out of the
gate. I encourage any of you or your students to investigate,
including: (1) Cross-referencing spread of the H1N1 outbreak
with April daily humidity data in Mexico, New York, Texas and
California: what patterns or indications might this reveal? (2)
Comparing that data to climate norms: Was it more or less humid
than normal at onset? Could this have influenced the March-to-
April outbreak phase in Mexico? (3) Real-time tracking of
current humidity and temperature data as compared to spread of
the virus in the Maryland or the eastern U.S. Has our recent
washout slowed progress of the virus? (4