Relationship among Some Prevalent Diseases and Changes in Weather at Ilorin over a Solar Cycle Period

Abstract

A study of the relationships existing between the variations in the tropospheric weather and occurrences of three prevalent diseases namely: typhoid, meningitis and asthma in Ilorin (lat. 8.5ºN and long. 4.5ºE), located within the Guinea savannah zone of West Africa have been carried out using data covering a period of eleven years (1999-2010; one solar cycle). Variations in five weather parameters namely, minimum temperature, maximum temperature, rainfall, relative humidity and sunshine hour were studied and used to determine the relationship of the diseases with changes in weather. The results showed that tropospheric weather is solar cycle dependent while the (three) diseases studied were found to be influenced by changes in weather to different extents. Hence they are seasonal dependent. Typhoid showed 97% dependence on maximum temperature, relative humidity and sunshine hours thus revealing that typhoid is promoted during dry season at Ilorin. Asthma occurrence showed 93% dependence on rainfall and minimum temperature therefore showing that it is prevalence during rainy season. The results also showed that meningitis occurrence with 95% of agreement with maximum temperature and relative humidity can have prevalence any time of the year irrespective of season.