Impact of environmental pollutants Particulate Matter PM2.5, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and ozone on the incidence of Monkeypox cases

S.A. Meo, A.A. Al-Masri, H.T.M. Alkhliwi, J.M. Alkhalifah

Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. smeo@ksu.edu.sa

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• Infectious Diseases
• Public Health

OBJECTIVE: The human monkeypox disease (MPXD), is an emerging zoonotic disease caused by the monkeypox virus. The rapid spread of human monkeypox cases has developed an alarming situation worldwide. This study evaluated the impact of day-to-day air pollutants, particulate matter PM2.5, Carbon monoxide (CO), Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and Ozone (O3) on the daily incidence of monkeypox cases in New York City, United States of America.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The daily data on air pollutants and monkeypox cases were recorded from May 1, 2022, to August 16, 2022. The everyday concentrations of “PM2.5, CO, NO2, and O3 were recorded from the metrological website “Real-Time Air Quality Index-AQI” and human monkeypox cases were documented from the official website of “NVC Health”. The mean values along with correlations were performed to investigate the impact of environmental pollutants on the occurrence of monkeypox cases in New York, city USA.

RESULTS: The mean value for the concentration of CO in the air was 25.61 ppm, NO2 38.16 ppm, O3 9.46 μg/m3 and PM2.5 was 1.82 ppm. The air pollutants, CO, and NO2 have a positive association (p=0.001) with daily monkeypox cases in New York, USA. The correlation analysis showed significant relationships between CO and NO2 and the number of monkeypox cases (r=0.298, p<0.002), (r=0.513, p<0.001), respectively. The linear regression analysis also showed that CO has a positive impact on monkeypox cases (β=0.298, p<0.001). With one unit increase in the CO levels in the air, the number of monkeypox cases increased by 0.298 units, and adjusted R-square shows a 0.08 or 8% variation in the number of monkeypox cases due to an increase in CO in the environment. Moreover, NO2 has a significant positive impact on monkeypox cases (β=0.513, p<0.001), with a one-unit increase in NO2 concentration in the air, the monkeypox cases increased by 0.513. The adjusted R-square shows that NO2 causes a 25.7% variation in the increase in monkeypox cases. However, Ozone (β=0.018. p>0.05) and PM2.5 (β=-0.122, p>0.05) does not have a significant correlation with monkeypox cases in the city of New York.

CONCLUSIONS: Environmental pollutants NO2 and CO have a positive relationship with the number of daily monkeypox cases in New York City, USA. The air pollutants which have a high concentration in the environment have a strong relationship with the occurrence of monkeypox cases. Environmental pollution may be a risk factor for the increasing occurrence of monkeypox cases. Health officials must take priority preventive measures to curtail environmental pollution to combat the monkeypox disease.

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