Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Jan 4:10:1041135.
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1041135. eCollection 2022.

Epidemiological characteristics and climatic variability of viral meningitis in Kazakhstan, 2014-2019

Sauran Yerdessov  1   2 , Assel Zhunussova  2 , Aliya Imanova  3 , Arnur Gusmanov  2 , Yesbolat Sakko  2 , Gulnur Zhakhina  2 , Kamilla Mussina  2 , Dmitriy Syssoyev  2 , Aidar Alimbayev  2 , Anara Abbay  2 , Antonio Sarria-Santamera  2 , Abduzhappar Gaipov  2   4
Affiliations

Epidemiological characteristics and climatic variability of viral meningitis in Kazakhstan, 2014-2019

Sauran Yerdessov et al. Front Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: The comprehensive epidemiology and impact of climate on viral meningitis (VM) in Kazakhstan are unknown. We aimed to study the incidence, in-hospital mortality and influence of climatic indicators on VM from 2014 to 2019.

Methods: Nationwide electronic healthcare records were used to explore this study. ICD-10 codes of VM, demographics, and hospital outcomes were evaluated using descriptive statistics and survival analysis.

Results: During the 2014-2019 period, 10,251 patients with VM were admitted to the hospital. 51.35% of them were children, 57.85% were males, and 85.9% were from the urban population. Enteroviral meningitis was the main cause of VM in children. The incidence rate was 13 and 18 cases per 100,000 population in 2014 and 2019, respectively. Case fatality rate was higher in 2015 (2.3%) and 2017 (2.0%). The regression model showed 1°C increment in the daily average temperature might be associated with a 1.05-fold (95% CI 1.047-1.051) increase in the daily rate of VM cases, 1hPa increment in the average air pressure and 1% increment in the daily average humidity might contribute to a decrease in the daily rate of VM cases with IRRs of 0.997 (95% CI 0.995-0.998) and 0.982 (95% CI 0.981-0.983), respectively. In-hospital mortality was 35% higher in males compared to females. Patients residing in rural locations had a 2-fold higher risk of in-hospital death, compared to city residents. Elderly patients had a 14-fold higher risk of in-hospital mortality, compared to younger patients.

Conclusion: This is the first study in Kazakhstan investigating the epidemiology and impact of climate on VM using nationwide healthcare data. There was a tendency to decrease the incidence with outbreaks every 5 years, and mortality rates were higher for Russians and other ethnicities compared to Kazakhs, for males compared to females, for elder patients compared to younger patients, and for patients living in rural areas compared to city residents. The climatic parameters and the days of delay indicated a moderate interaction with the VM cases.

Keywords: Kazakhstan; epidemiology; in-hospital mortality; infectious diseases; seasonality; viral meningitis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The flowchart diagram.
Figure 2
Figure 2
National admission trends with the diagnosis of VM for the period of 2014–2019.
Figure 3
Figure 3
VM Incidence and Case-Fatality Rate over 2014–2019.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Age and gender-specific incidence rates of VM over 2014–2019.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Unadjusted survival probabilities by gender (A), age category (B), ethnicity (C), and place of residence (D) among patients in Kazakhstan.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Seasonal dynamics of VM over 2014–2019.
Figure 7
Figure 7
The trends of viral meningitis notifications and temperature metrics between 2014 and 2019.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. World Health Organization (WHO) . Defeating Meningitis by 2030: A Global Road Map. (2021). Available online at: https://www.who.int/initiatives/defeating-meningitis-by-2030 (accessed March 01, 2022).
    1. Putz K, Hayani K, Zar FA. Meningitis. Prim Care. (2013) 40:707–26. 10.1016/j.pop.2013.06.001 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kupila L, Vuorinen T, Vainionpää R, Hukkanen V, Marttila RJ, Kotilainen P. Etiology of aseptic meningitis and encephalitis in an adult population. Neurology. (2006) 66:75–80. 10.1212/01.wnl.0000191407.81333.00 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Schmidt H, Cohrs S, Heinemann T, Goerdt C, Djukic M, Heimann B, et al. . Sleep disorders are long-term sequelae of both bacterial and viral meningitis. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. (2006) 77:554–8. 10.1136/jnnp.2005.071142 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Schmidt H, Heimann B, Djukic M, Mazurek C, Fels C, Wallesch C-W, et al. . Neuropsychological sequelae of bacterial and viral meningitis. Brain. (2005) 129:333–45. 10.1093/brain/awh711 - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources