It is known to everyone the top environmental concern is climate change. This is the threat that has been discussed in all environmental forums, scientific journals, conventions, discussions, and conferences for example COP 1 to 28. The impacts of climate change are obvious and common. Many people can also observe them all over the globe if they compare the temperature or precipitation pattern in their lifetime.
In addition to many consequences of climate change, one of the most important concerns is human health. It is under consideration that the increasing rate of infectious diseases, pandemics, endemics, or epidemics are the result of climate change. There are many studies have been conducted to find the link between climate change and human infectious diseases. In this blog, we are going to discuss how climate change triggers infectious diseases and which common and uncommon diseases are likely to be boosted in the coming decade.
What is climate change?
Climate change is a long-term change in the average weather, temperature, and rainfall pattern. Climate change can boost the frequency and intensity of natural disasters. Climate change can impact negatively on wildlife and biodiversity and can cause ocean acidification. Other than that, climate change can increase the frequency and intensity of infectious diseases in humans and animals.
How does climate change induce the disease rate?’
1. Intervene in the reproduction cycle of pathogens
Climate change intervenes in the reproduction, survival, and dispersal of pathogens by triggering the rainfall, wind, moisture, and sunshine patterns. It has been predicted that climate change is going to cause 250,000 more deaths annually in addition to the normal death toll and the reason would be malaria diarrhea, malnutrition, and heat waves.
2. Destruction of the sanitation system
Climate change-induced severe rainfall, floods, and other natural disasters are also responsible for the destruction of cities’ sanitation and sewerage systems which in turn may increase the risk of food-borne and water-borne diseases.
3. Disruption in the ecological and psychological behaviors of animals
Climate change can also affect the ecological behavior of animal species which can be a reason for the transmission of zoonotic diseases. We have a perfect example of COVID-19 which is a living example of how diseases can be transmitted from animals to humans and how animals can be triggered by the change in the average atmospheric temperature and precipitation. Climate change also affects the psychology of the insects and leads them to change their migration patterns which can increase the diseases in certain locations for example, Pakistan faced extreme locust attacks in previous years.
4. Melting of permafrost
An increase in average temperature is the root cause of the thawing of glaciers and melting of permafrost. It is assumed that the buried pathogens are getting exposed to the atmosphere and are responsible for causing unknown infections like valley fever, leishmaniasis, anthrax, and Ebola etc. Waking up after millions of years of sleep, these pathogens become active and spread through the water cycle, air, soil, or any other vectors. Climate change-induced permafrost melting is a great alarm for human health.
Deadly diseases boosted by climate change
Following are some common diseases that are likely to become more deadly and frequent due to climate change such as malaria, dengue, cholera and Lyme disease.
Malaria
This disease is transmitted by mosquitoes to humans and is a kind of parasitic disease. Malaria includes chills, headache, and high fever, and in severe cases, it can cause death. According to scientists, malaria infections will increase by 3% to 5% increase by 2100. So how climate change is going to induce the increasing rate of malaria? Climate change will increase temperature and rainfall patterns which ultimately increase the breeding sites and survival rates of mosquitoes and the higher the mosquitoes, the higher be chances of the parasitic virus of malaria.
Dengue
Dengue is a viral disease that is transmitted by mosquitoes to humans. The symptoms and host are similar to malaria but its worst leads to hemorrhagic fever. It causes infection in 390 million people annually globally which can be further induced by climate change and the intensity and frequency of the diseases are expected to shoot in a climate-change globe. High temperature in a region is the main reason to reduce the incubation period of the virus in the mosquito making it more abundant.
Lyme disease
Lyme disease is transmitted by ticks. It is a bacterial disease. It includes neurological complications, joint pain, fever, and skin rash. Hosts are rodents, deer, and other animals. Increasing temperature can affect the distribution and abundance of ticks in their host. Higher temperature increases the survival and activity of ticks. Alone in us, Lyme disease accounts for 3 lac cases per year.
Cholera
Cholera is another common bacterial disease that is transmitted by dirty water or contaminated food. It includes dehydration, severe diarrhea, and in the worst condition death. Climate change induces heavy rainfall situations which can destroy the sanitation system of the city and can cause cholera outbreaks. This disease is common in developing countries but climate change can induce its rate and severity in other coastal regions and have a tendency to become from endemic to a pandemic.
Uncommon diseases induced by climate change
Other than these common diseases, climate change can also induce some other diseases which are sensitive to climate change such as leishmaniasis, schistosomiasis, leptospirosis, anthrax, Ebola, Hantavirus, and valley fever.
Rare Infectious diseases triggered by Climate change
Conclusion
Interestingly the health costs related to climate change are discriminated among the lower-middle-income countries and upper-income countries. The lower and middle-income countries are expected to suffer 75% of the health cost and other consequences of this changing temperature and precipitation, while higher-income countries will suffer the consequences of climate change only 10%. Mind the fact, that the higher-income countries are generating more greenhouse gases and contributing more to global climate change since the need for the goods and to maintain the lifestyle of the upper-income countries, more natural resources are exhausted. Similarly, the production of waste is also more.
With great power, comes great responsibility!
Therefore, the responsibility to combat climate change and the negative impacts of climate change should be more on higher-income countries and they should support the middle lower-income countries to fight climate change. Prevention of climate change is the only way to reduce the risk associated with human and other animal health. There should be immediate action taken locally and globally. To address this issue, WHO recommends a “health in all policies” approach integrating health considerations into climate change mitigation plans.
What you can do?
Although this is a responsibility which should be catered by states, being human it is our responsibility to play a part in the reduction of carbon individually. For example switching to sustainable goods, organic food, low-carbon transport, and hundreds of different sustainable approaches should be adopted by individuals. Similarly, people should also take care of themselves and avoid the ways through which they can be infected by viral bacterial or parasitic infections.
