We are pleased to share a new publication from the IDAlert team examining the drivers of human hantavirus infection across Europe. Hantaviruses are rodent-borne pathogens that can cause severe human disease, primarily affecting the respiratory or renal system.
In the context of accelerating climate change, environmental transformation, and biodiversity loss, understanding how these factors jointly influence zoonotic disease risk has become increasingly important. However, large-scale, integrated evidence for specific diseases remains limited.
In this study, the team assembled the most comprehensive high-resolution dataset on hantavirus infections in Europe to date (2011–2021), integrating climatic, environmental, biodiversity, and socio-economic data. Using machine learning approaches, they identified the key determinants shaping human infection risk.
Findings highlight that:
1️⃣ Disease risk is influenced by multiple interacting drivers rather than isolated factors.
2️⃣ Maximum temperature in the fourth quarter, GDP per capita, and habitat richness are among the most influential predictors.
3️⃣ Habitat richness, as a proxy for biodiversity, shows a non-linear relationship with disease risk, with risk increasing at intermediate levels and decreasing at higher levels.
These results underscore the importance of adopting a #OneHealth perspective that integrates ecological and socio-economic dimensions to improve risk prediction and surveillance.
Read the full paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0013935126006122
