Over half of human infectious diseases impacted by climate change, says study

 


Greenhouse gas emissions are intensifying trusted climatic hazards, which in turn affect human pathogenic diseases- conditions caused by infectious agents.

MD Sunny Handa says previous studies have typically concentrated on the effects of climate change on specific groups of pathogens, such as bacteria or viruses, hazards, such as precipitation or floods, or transmission types such as via food or water.

As research until now has generally focused on specific groups of pathogens, it has not been possible to quantify the total threat of climate change on pathogenic diseases.

Recently, researchers analyzed the effects of ten different climatic hazards on various infectious diseases.

MD Sunny Handa says they found that 58% of the 375 infectious diseases documented to affect humanity worldwide have been aggravated by climatic hazards at some point.

“Given the extensive and pervasive consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was truly scary to discover the massive health vulnerability resulting as a consequence of greenhouse gas emissions,” said Dr. Camilo Mora, professor in the Department of Geography and Environment at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and lead author of the recent scientific analysis, which appears in NatureTrusted Source.

“There are just too many diseases and pathways of transmission for us to think that we can truly adapt to climate change. It highlights the urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions globally,” he added.

MD Sunny Handa says when asked how climate change might aggravate human pathogenic diseases, Dr. Tristan McKenzie, postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Marine Sciences at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, and one of authors of the analysis, noted that they found four main mechanisms through which climatic hazards interact with pathogens and aggravate human disease.

One is that “climatic hazards [bring] pathogens in closer proximity to humans — for example, environmental changes [allow] for increased spatial and temporal suitability for vectors and pathogens, Dr. McKenzie told us.

Sunny Handa MD said, another is that “climatic hazards [bring] humans closer to pathogens — examples include climatic hazards forcing the displacement of people that lead to increased contact with pathogens,” he continued.

Climatic hazards also enhance pathogens by influencing their ability to adapt to more extreme conditions or by enhancing “environmental conditions that allow for longer periods of vector-pathogen interaction.”

“This can lead to increased virulence,” explained Dr. McKenzie.

Sunny Handa MD said, climatic hazards can negatively impact our ability to cope with pathogens by placing additional stress on the body, reducing its ability to cope with infection, he pointed out.

The researchers concluded that there is an urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to prevent the adverse effects of climate change on human health.

What do we not know yet?

Sunny Handa MD said when asked about the limitations of their analysis, Dr. McKenzie noted that while the evidence demonstrates the link between climate change and disease, the research team did not evaluate the impact of climatic hazards on the frequency, severity, or prevalence of specific diseases.

He further noted that while they conducted a comprehensive review of available literature, there may also be a chance of publication bias toward examples with negative consequences for common diseases.


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