Influence of Seasons and Meteorological Parameters on the Circulation of Enteroviruses in Untreated Wastewater: A Nine-Year Retrospective Study in the Niger’s Polio Program (2016-2024)
Enteroviruses are responsible for a wide spectrum of infectious diseases worldwide. Understanding the meteorological factors influencing the environmental circulation of enteroviruses could help to improve the prevention strategy against diseases caused by these viral infectious pathogens. This retrospective study investigates the influence of seasonal and meteorological variables on the detection of enteroviruses in untreated wastewater across 11 collection sites in Niger from 2016 to 2024. Using data from the Poliovirus Surveillance System and national meteorological records, descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate statistical analyses were performed with R for Windows software. A total of 1989 laboratory test results were included in and then subjected to analysis for this study. According to a bivariate analysis, a significant association was found between the detection of enteroviruses in wastewater and season or rainfall or relative humidity (p-values < 0.05). According to multivariate logistic regression results, relative humidity was the primary meteorological factor that contributed to the peak of enteroviruses detection in untreated wastewater with Odd Ratio = 1.02, 95% Confidence Interval 95% 1.01 - 1.03, p-value < 0.0001. Temperature, rainfall and windspeed were not associated to positivity rate of enterovirus detection in wastewater (p-value > 0.05). These findings could help public health authorities to implement better prevention strategies by targeting the optimal intervention period.
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