Download The Effects of Climate Change on the Spread of Infectious Diseases

The Effects of Climate Change on the Spread of Infectious Diseases
Kristen Barry
ISC 281
S 10:00
Many recent studies have shown the direct correlation between global climate
change and the spread of infectious diseases. The types of diseases that are affected the
most in this way are those spread by insects, such as ticks and mosquitoes. There are
four main ways climate could potentially affect the spread of infectious diseases in a
particular area. These include the rising of sea levels, humidity, changes in amounts of
rainfall, and temperature changes.
All four of these variables could possibly affect the amount of tiny diseasecarrying insects in an area. These insects are the main way diseases such as malaria are
spread. Malaria is an extremely deadly disease that is spread from human to human by
mosquitoes. One way climate change has an effect on this disease is the fact that
mosquitoes are unable to live in climates that exceed very high temperatures.
Consequently, this change decreases the amount of this type of insect, therefore limiting
the spread of this infectious disease.
However, an increase in temperature can also cause the disease to thrive in other
ways. This disease is very prevalent in third-world countries and is a growing epidemic.
“More than 3,000 children die from malaria each day, according to World Health
Organization.” (Pelley) This deadly disease not only affects humans, but many animals
as well. Mosquitoes are a pesky type of insect that is also responsible for a great deal of
other disease that can possibly lead to abrupt death in animals and humans. Another
example of a serious disease spread by mosquitoes is yellow fever. One reason
mosquitoes mainly spread this disease around the continents of Africa and South America
could be the small variations in temperatures.
Since most continents have an “off season” for mosquitoes, this could contribute
to the fact that countries like the United States are not at high risk for infectious diseases
spreading by way of the small insects. However, it is possible global warming could be
leading to a possible outbreak of tropical diseases coming up north because of the warmer
temperatures that are resulting.
Mosquitoes are not the only villains humans need to be on the lookout for. It is
possible for small rodents, such as rats, to spread diseases to humans as well. This occurs
when a human comes in contact with the animal’s excrements. One way climate change
can affect this is if an unusual increase in rainfall occurs in a particular area. The
increase of moisture this causes results in giving disease-carrying rodents the opportunity
to thrive.
A severe increase in rainfall in a given area (flooding) can also affect the spread
the spread of disease by directly affecting the availability of safe disease-free drinking
water. The most common example of the diseases that are spread through water is
cholera, a disease affecting the intestines. It causes severe diarrhea and can eventually
become fatal if not treated in time. This disease is most prevalent in tropical locations
because it thrives in hot humid climates.
The changing climate on earth is also linked to less serious health conditions such
as the flu. This time of year is considered “flu season” because many people come down
with the virus at this time due to the drastic change in weather patterns. Meningitis is
another disease that Americans are familiar with. Although not as common as the flu, it
has still been known to spread quickly and has proven to be fatal in some cases. This
disease thrives in a dry type of climate.
Another infectious disease more common in the United States is Lyme disease.
This is spread most frequently through ticks and mostly affects animals more than
humans. Ticks live longest in hot, humid climates, so wherever this type of weather is
common, this disease is most likely to be spread. This life-threatening disease can be
treated with antibiotics if diagnosis is made on time.
It is possible that at any time malaria and other infectious diseases not common in
the United States could end up in our own hometown. Scientists are making new
developments in researching whether or not global warming can eventually cause this
horrifying occurrence. The most common climate type for the thriving and spreading of
infectious diseases is typically hot and humid. This type of climate enables certain types
of fungus to thrive, for example. There is a certain type of fungus that lives in a climate
such as this that is responsible for causing a frog species to go extinct.
In order for scientists to study in-depth and draw conclusions on this very
important issue, they must have a vast array of knowledge in microbiology as well as
climatology. Many correlations between the two have been discovered, which will over
time lead to finding ways of preventing at least some cases of these deadly diseases from
occurring.
The best thing for all people concerned about this very important frightening issue
to do is become aware of the dangers of global warming. People need to come together
to work to find ways of preserving energy and helping to keep earth as healthy as
possible, so we can live healthy lives as well.
Works Cited
Pelley, Janet. Will Global Climate Change Worsen Infectious Diseases? Environmental
Science and Technology Online http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthagw/2006/mar/science/jp_climatechange.html
Unknown Author. Climate Change 2001 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(9.7 Infectious Diseases) http://www.grida.no/climate/ipcc_tar/wg2/358.htm