Pollution in SA raises risk of serious bacterial infection, say experts

Researchers have warned that air pollution levels in South Africa, and exposure to higher levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) – especially in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal – are placing residents at greater risk of invasive pneumococcal disease, reports IOL .

Their recent collaborative research, published in Nature Microbiology , examined cases recorded through South Africa’s national GERMS-SA surveillance programme and found that air pollution, temperature, and humidity were linked to changes in both the risk and timing of disease.

Invasive pneumococcal disease, or IPD, occurs when Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria invade normally sterile parts of the body. It can cause bloodstream infections, meningitis and, in some cases, pneumonia associated with bloodstream infection.