Climate change and vectorborne diseases

CLIMATE CHANGE ANDvectorborne diseases

Did you know that climate change is not just a temperature concern? This article demonstrated that it is also a public health crisis in the making.

The in crease in temperature has a significant connection with vectorborne diseases* because it affects the pathogens, vectors, and hosts. Depending on their adaptability, they could either stop carrying certain pathogens or start carrying new ones.

Lyme Disease

Dengue

Malaria

West Nile Virus Infection

Questions

Conclusions

* We cannot only blame climate change; there are also other factors, such as land-use changes and control measures.

Certain vectorborne diseases have increased in recent decades, including these:

References:Thomson, M. & Stanberry, L. (2022). Climate Change and Vectorne Diseases. The New England Journal of Medicine 387, 1969 - 1978. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMra2200092

1. What should health policies focus on to prevent the increase of these diseases? 2. According to the article 4.9% of the world's carbon footprint belongs to the healthcare industry, do you think we should focus on reducing the footprint in this industry or in which other industry? 3. Why do you think these diseases are more prevalent in developing countries?

More than 600,000 deaths were attributed to malaria in 2020. In many countries, it is a seasonal disease that responds to rainfall changes, and temperature.

390 million cases occur each year in more than 100 countries. By 2030, the dominant cause of expansion is predicted to be climate change.

It is the most common tickborne illness worldwide. Due to the extended summer season, human-tick interaction increases as well

Between 1999 to 2016, nearly 7 million persons were infected. Air temperature results in a peak incidence of the virus.

I invite all of you to watch this video! It explains some basic concepts to better understand this topic, and discusses other reasons why infectious diseases are increasing. The detection, prevention, and treatment of vectorborne diseases can be controlled with public health policies. However, it is not the only factor to consider, it is also important to control human activities; we should enhance, for example, climate-informed early-warning systems to aware people. Reducing the risk of vectorborne diseases and other health implications requires an immediate adaptation to reduce footprint worldwide.