We have all heard the facts that green house gas emissions and fossil fuels are affecting the climates around the globe. Due to this melting of polar ice caps is occurring with the ultimate fear being that mixture of fresh water from these caps with that of the ocean could halt the ocean conveyor belt (thermohaline circulation). If this occurs weather across the entire planet would change drastically leading to many detrimental effects on the environment; but is this really the only threat of global climate change?
According to a summary article by the World Health Organization, a great area of concern arising from this dilemma is the increase in many infectious diseases. WHO ran statistical models that found statistical relationships between current geographical distribution of diseases such as malaria and dengue and current location climate conditions. After taking human intervention into account, and running the same models for future scenarios regarding climate, found a great risk for increase in water-borne diseases. Water-borne diseases are strongly affected by climate and during times of drought scarcity can result in low qualities of sanitation causing exposure contaminated water. Attributed to this, some evidence in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that changes can result in presence of particular infectious diseases in areas they have not been seen before; with the example of malaria spread into highland regions of East Africa, where previously it was not before. Increased temperatures affect growth rates of these pathogens and in turn coming into contact with them is bound to increase as well, leading to potential outbreaks of malaria and dengue in a more vast area than seen prior.
This article focuses much on malaria due to this vector-borne disease seeming to be most sensitive to long term climate change. One model suggested that a simple increase in temperature of "2-3 degrees C, would increase the number of people at risk by 3-5% (several hundred million)" and it also suggested that increases in the seasonal duration of malaria would increase as well. Great concern is going into the consideration of appearances of these diseases into other other parts of the world. These articles show that small changes in temperature can increase risk of infectious diseases by the millions; so perhaps it is time to stop focusing on climate change in simply and environmental way, and consider the medical implications that come along with it as well.
(2003). Climate change and human health risks and responses. (Chap. 6 ed., pp. 103-127). Switzerland: World Health Organization. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/globalchange/environment/en/chapter6.pdf
Shuman, E. (2010). Global climate change and infectious diseases. The New England Journal of Medicine,362, 1061-1063. Retrieved from http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp0912931
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ReplyDeleteJorge,
ReplyDeleteI think it’s interesting how you integrated environmental awareness with medical implications. This reminded me of my Aquatic and Fisheries class in which I learned how antibiotics and medicines contaminate water and negatively impact aquatic life. Researchers from the University of Gothenburg are studying the prevalence of antibiotic resistance in bacteria communities in Greenland. This research is prevalent because the bacteria that are being studied metabolise both nitrogen and carbon. Thus, they are linked to both eutrophication and climate problems. Though the consequences of the bacteria’s widespread resistance to antibiotics is unknown, researchers know that the antibiotic resistance can reach humans through the consumption of seafood and fish.
Along with infectious antibiotic resistance, antibiotic contamination affects marine life. Women around the globe are taking “the pill,” which first helps balance women’s hormones, and acts secondly as a pollutant that harms wildlife. Ethinyl estradiol (EE2) is a potent ingredient in birth control. According to Wynne Perry who writes for Live Science, because EE2 is extremely costly and hard to remove from water pathways, it continues to create “intersex fish” (male fish create eggs in their testes) and interferes with the animal’s ability to reproduce. Similar to how small changes in temperature can increase the risk of infectious diseases by the millions, an increase in the amount of EE2 disposed in the water affects millions of fish in which humans will eventually consume. This dangerous cycle needs to be stopped with proper disposal methods of antibiotics. I agree, we need to consider the medical implications that come along with environmental awareness.
http://www.livescience.com/20532-birth-control-water-pollution.html
http://www.science.gu.se/english/News/News_detail/antibiotic-contamination-a-threat-to-humans-and-the-environment.cid1091767
Great point Jorge. Not only will the living area of many pathogens increase but also the population are now settling in more rural areas, put them at more risk to come into contact with other pathogen's found solely in the wilderness due to the close proximity of their environment to these disease carrying organisms in the wild. However, we should still remember that it is us that is encroaching on their land and rather trying to eradicate certain animals or organisms from their habitat, could we possibly live more in unison with them?
ReplyDeleteFor example, this article mentions alternative ways to control mosquito populations that may cause West Nile Virus by avoiding being outdoors during evening hours, spraying less toxic chemicals than DEET and other synthetic-pyrethroid based spray and removing stagnant bodies of water as well as other integrative mosquito management techniques.
http://www.beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/?p=10586