|
| ||||||||
| ||||||||
|
Biosecurity News in Brief
Climate Change and Extreme Weather Linked to Increase in Infectious DiseasesBy Nidhi Bouri, October 20, 2008 According to an October 7, 2008, Agence France Presse (AFP) report, researchers at the World Conservation Congress in Barcelona, held October 5–14, 2008, announced that global warming is increasing the spread of pathogens among wildlife, and this could have serious effects on human health.1 Climate change has altered temperatures and rainfall levels, which have been linked to an increase in the emergence, reemergence, and spread of infectious diseases. While disease has always affected populations, diseases currently threatening animals are unusually highly pathogenic. According to AFP, 1 in 4 mammals is threatened with extinction, and half of the world’s total mammal species are currently in decline.1 In an Institute of Medicine (IOM) report on global climate change released on September 24, 2008, researchers found that the earth’s climate is changing at a faster rate than previously predicted, thereby increasing the urgency to address the relationship between climate and disease.2 Climate change is also attributed as the cause of disease spread that has wiped out hundreds of frog, toad, and salamander species across the globe. Higher sea surface temperatures generate toxins that have killed huge numbers of sea mammals, fish, and birds. Human consumption of contaminated shellfish has also led to an increase in disease in humans. Incidence in humans of other diseases, such as lyme disease, malaria, and yellow fever, have also been increasing in recent years.1 The IOM document provides an assessment of the state of climate change and its contributions to the spread of infectious disease. Contributors to the document urge policy-makers to allocate resources and attention to this important issue. However, this report does not offer a concrete list of recommendations or next steps to address the link between climate change and disease. References
|