Climate change may increase the risk childhood viral infection: Study

Climate change may increase the risk of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD), a common childhood viral infection, a study warns.

The review, published in the International Journal of Dermatology, revealed a positive relationship between HFMD and temperature and humidity.

No significant relationship was identified between HFMD and precipitation, wind speed, and/or sunshine, said researchers from the University of California, San Francisco in the US.

"There is an emerging understanding of the link between our changing climate and the rising incidence of various infectious diseases," said Sarah Coates from the University of California, San Francisco.

"Many of these changes are so insidious that they are hard for the average practitioner to detect at the individual level," said Coates.

"We hope to raise awareness within the medical community of these large-scale trends and spur appropriate political action given their potential consequences to public health," she said.