Iain Koolhof

We assess the effects of ambient temperature and mobility patterns on the transmissibility of COVID-19 during the epidemiological years of the pandemic in Japan. The prefecture-specific daily time-series of confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases, meteorological variables, levels of retail and recreation mobility (e.g., activities, goin...

We quantified the effects of adherence to various non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) on the seasonal influenza epidemic dynamics in Japan during 2020. The total monthly number of seasonal influenza cases per sentinel site (seasonal influenza activity) reported to the National Epidemiological Surveillance of Infectious Diseases and alternative...

The greater River Derwent catchment is one of the largest river basins in Tasmania, Australia, and is the main supply of drinking water to the state’s capital, Hobart. Recently, summer-time occurrence of blue-green and filamentous algal blooms, combined with taste and odour problems at the drinking water intake, have raised concerns regarding the r...

Background Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), such as sanitary measures and travel restrictions, aimed at controlling the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), may affect the transmission dynamics of human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV). We aimed to quantify the contribution of the sales of hand hygiene products an...

Background Pollen is a well-established trigger of asthma and allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, yet key gaps in our understanding remain. These include knowledge of concentration thresholds for symptoms, exposure-response associations through time, and the potential for interactions with other environmental stressors such as air pollution. Smartphone t...

Abstract Background Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), such as sanitary measures and travel restrictions, aimed at controlling the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), may affect the transmission dynamics of human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV). We aimed to quantify the contribution of the sales of hand hygiene pr...

Pollen is a well-established trigger of asthma and allergic rhinitis, yet concentration-response relationships, lagged effects, and interactions with other environmental factors remain poorly understood. Smartphone technology offers an opportunity to address these challenges using large, multi-year datasets that capture individual symptoms and expo...

Few studies have examined the effects of inbound overseas travelers and meteorological conditions on the shift in human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) season in Japan. This study aims to test whether the number of inbound overseas travelers and meteorological conditions are associated with the onset week of HRSV epidemic season. The estimation...

Background Statistical models are regularly used in the forecasting and surveillance of infectious diseases to guide public health. Variable selection assists in determining factors associated with disease transmission, however, often overlooked in this process is the evaluation and suitability of the statistical model used in forecasting disease t...

Campus community gardens (CCGs) can potentially improve student health and wellbeing, mitigate social and ecological problems, and nurture university-community relationships. However, CCGs are located in complex socio-political and ecological settings and many community gardens struggle or fail. However, few studies have assessed the socio-politica...

Asthma and allergic rhinitis (or hay fever) are ubiquitous, chronic health conditions that seasonally affect a sizeable proportion of the population. Both are commonly triggered or exacerbated by environmental conditions including aeroallergens, air quality and weather. Smartphone technology offers new opportunities to identify environmental driver...

Ross River virus (RRV) is Australia’s most epidemiologically important mosquito-borne disease. During RRV epidemics in the State of Victoria (such as 2010/11 and 2016/17) notifications can account for up to 30% of national RRV notifications. However, little is known about factors which can forecast RRV transmission in Victoria. We aimed to understa...

Mosquito-borne diseases are a major public health problem causing a significant burden on the economies globally. Central to comprehending the dynamics of mosquito-borne diseases and effective management, is a dual understanding of seasonality in host and vector life history traits, yet these interrelationships are poorly understood in most cases....

We present a Statewide network of eleven predictive models of monthly notifications and epidemics of the mosquito-borne disease Ross River virus (RRV) in Victoria, Australia. RRV is Australia's most epidemiologically important mosquito-borne disease. Over the last decade, dramatic increases have been observed in both the severity and frequency of o...

Ross River virus (RRV) is Australia’s most commonly reported arbovirus. Over the 2016–17 summer, Victoria experienced its largest RRV outbreak on record1. Since 2013, the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has been working with infectious disease modellers to develop predictive models to forecast human RRV notifications2,3. Ke...

Mosquito-borne diseases are a major public health problem causing a significant burden on the economies globally. Central to comprehending the dynamics of mosquito-borne diseases and effective management, is a dual understanding of seasonality in host and vector life history traits, yet these interrelationships are poorly understood in most cases....

Mosquito-borne diseases are a major public health problem to the health of individuals and to public health bodies causing a significant burden on the economy. Ross River virus (RRV) is epidemiologically Australia’s most important mosquito-borne disease, causing 1451–9551 clinical notifications per year (per capita rate >40/100 000) at an estimated...

Stressful conditions experienced during early development can have deleterious effects on offspring morphology, physiology and behaviour. However, few studies have examined how developmental stress influences an individual's cognitive phenotype. Using a viviparous lizard, we show that the availability of food resources to a mother during gestation...

Background: Global environmental change is exacerbating human vulnerability to adverse atmospheric conditions including air pollution, aeroallergens such as pollen, and extreme weather events. Public information and advisories are a central component of responses to mitigate the human impacts of environmental hazards. Digital technologies are emerg...

Background: Zoonotic vector-borne disease prevalence is affected by vector, human and reservoir host factors, which are influenced by habitat and climate; these five components interact on microhabitat to landscape scales but are often analyzed at a single spatial scale. Methods: We present an information theoretic, multi-scale, multiple regress...

Health warnings of mosquito-borne disease risk require forecasts that are accurate at fine-temporal resolutions (weekly scales); however, most forecasting is coarse (monthly). We use environmental and Ross River virus (RRV) surveillance to predict weekly outbreak probabilities and incidence spanning tropical, semi-arid, and Mediterranean regions of...

Most vector-borne diseases infect multiple host species, but disentangling the relative importance of different host species to transmission can be complex. Here we study how host species’ abundance and competence (duration and titre of parasitaemia) influence host importance during epidemic scenarios. We evaluate this theory using Ross River virus...

Mosquito-borne diseases are a major public health problem to the health of individuals and to public health bodies causing a significant burden on the economy. Public knowledge, awareness and perceptions of vector-borne diseases and mosquito control are important determinants for reducing disease and establishing effective public health policies. S...

Environmental determinants of Ross River virus (RRV) have long been studied for their role in outbreak epidemics. Studies into environmental drivers in RRV outbreaks provide a potentially critical tool in developing early warning detection systems capable of bolstering mitigation strategies. Here, we expand on previous studies exploring the develop...

Most vector-borne diseases infect multiple host species. Accordingly, the relative abundance and viral competence of hosts in a community can have an important role on local disease transmission and variation among geographic locations. The Ross River virus (RRV, Togoviridae: Alphavirus) has a significant impact on human disease across Australia an...