Ying-Hen Hsieh
China Medical University, Taiwan
Title: Ascertaining Age Group-specific Association between Ambient Fine Particles and Human Seasonal Influenza in 11 Study Sites in Taiwan
Biography
Biography: Ying-Hen Hsieh
Abstract
Recently, the impact of ambient fine particles, and especially that of particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5), on human health has garnered much attention. Many studies have revealed positive associations of PM2.5 with human health outcome, including asthma, pulmonary fibrosis, and cancer. Annual PM2.5 concentration in most cities in Taiwan has been higher than the lowest concentration recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). Long-term exposure to the ambient fine particles potentially causes more severe inflammation and pulmonary epithelium damage in human lung. This study aims to investigate the associations between PM2.5 and human seasonal influenza in cities and counties in Taiwan under the hypothesis that higher exposure concentration is associated with severe lung inflammation and epithelial damage, subsequently humans infected by the influenza virus are likely to have more exacerbating response