01.01.70
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) January 18, 2012
In the fresh article, “Does the La Niña weather pattern work up to flu pandemics?” from Columbia University's Mailman School of Manifest Health, scientists propose to test the La Niña-influenza theory by studying influenza genetics, avian migration patterns and feel data.
"Worldwide pandemics of influenza caused widespread liquidation and illness in 1918, 1957, 1968 and 2009. Our hypothesis is that La Niña sets the level for these changes by reshuffling the mixing patterns of migratory birds, which are a vital reservoir for influenza," says Jeffrey Shaman, PhD, Mailman Coterie assistant professor of Environmental Health Sciences and co-author of the mug up. "While gene-swapping between avian and pig influenza viruses was a factor in the 2009 swine flu pandemic, the difference in the migratory patterns of birds, brought about by La Niña, affects the strains and spreading of accommodating influenza.
Source: PR Web (press release)