Looking for benefits of climate change on human health?: first signs of reductions in a shorter season for the RSV virus in the UK

Analysis of hospital admissions (1990-2004) and hospital lab reports (1981-2004) across England and Wales suggest that the season for the RSV virus (which is a prime cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia amongst small children, but can affect all age groups) has been ending about 2 to 3 weeks earlier for each degree of rise in regional annual air temperatures. In contrast, rising temperatures have not affected the onset of the season.

Source: Donaldson, G.C. 2006. Climate change and the end of the respiratory syncytial virus season. Clinical Infectious Diseases 42:677-679.