Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a common childhood infection that causes a substantialdisease burden in the Asia-Pacifc region. Various climate variables, such as humidity and temperature,have been associated with HFMD. However, few studies have assessed the impact of PM10 on childhoodHFMD. This study investigated the association between PM10 and HFMD. We ftted a standarddistributed lag non-linear model to investigate the temporal lagged relationship between PM10 andHFMD, and then further assessed whether this relationship varied by gender and pathogen. Between2011 and 2015, a total of 122,564 HFMD cases under 15 years of age were reported in Chengdu. ThePM10-HFMD associations were shown to be non-linear in all subgroups, with the peak at 101–218μg/m3.Male children were more sensitive to PM10 efects. For pathogen-specifc relative risks, we found thatthe risk estimates were generally higher in cases of CVA16 infection. Our study provides evidence thatPM10 increases the risk of HFMD. Authorities and parents should be fully aware of the impact of PM10 onchildhood HFMD. Furthermore, appropriate protective measures should be taken to reduce risks.
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