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The Lancet Planetary Health, January 2025

A prospective observational study

Associations between weather extremes and faecal contamination along pathogen transmission pathways in rural Bangladeshi households

Increased temperature and rainfall are associated with child diarrhoea but the mechanisms behind these associations are not well investigated. Diarrhoea-causing pathogens are transmitted via the faecal–oral route through environmental compartments (eg, water, soil), food, fomites, and vectors (eg, flies), which can be influenced by weather.

Rainfall can increase pathogen loading into waterbodies, soil, and crops while higher temperatures can support viability, reproduction, and incubation. Increased faecal contamination in drinking water sources has been observed following higher rainfall and temperature. Higher temperatures are also associated with increased contamination of food stored at home, while there is mixed evidence on the association between temperature and contamination on raw produce.

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