Virus survival as a seasonal factor in influenza and poliomyelitis

Abstract

THE pronounced seasonal fluctuations in the morbidity of influenza and poliomyelitis are largely unexplained. Both diseases can probably be transmitted by airborne infection and by many other ways which involve the survival of the causative virus in the dry state. For many organisms survival in air can be taken as indicator for survival in the dry state in general. Consequently it seemed worth while to study the influence of temperature and humidity on the survival of the viruses of influenza and poliomyelitis in air. © 1960 Nature Publishing Group.