CLIMATE
CHANGE AND NEW DISEASES - ENVIRONMENT
News: With climate change, tackling new
disease scenarios
What's
in the news?
●
As per the latest report released this
March by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), climate change
heightens the global risk of infectious diseases.
Key
takeaways:
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It becomes increasingly evident each year.
The regular occurrence of disease outbreaks caused by mosquitoes no longer follows anticipated patterns. Dengue
fever now exhibits two to three peaks annually.
●
Fluctuations
in temperature, rainfall, and humidity disrupt the cycles of
disease transmission. These fluctuations also impact the distribution of the
carriers and the animal hosts.
●
High
temperatures can alter the genetic makeup of
pathogens. It can affect their ability to infect and their virulence.
●
Habitat
destruction compels disease-carrying animals to
encroach upon human habitats. It increases the likelihood of human-animal
interactions and the transfer of pathogens from wildlife to humans.
●
Climate
change is altering ecosystems themselves. This dynamic leads
to the introduction of invasive species and the expansion of the ranges of
existing species. Both of these factors trigger disruptions in ecosystems.
●
Human-induced
climate change is giving rise to an unprecedented
vulnerability to health crises. India has experienced early summers and erratic
monsoons causing water shortages in the Gangetic plains and Kerala.
●
These climate-related shifts are
contributing to severe health challenges. It includes a dengue epidemic in
Dhaka and Kolkata, and the Nipah outbreak in Kerala.
Health
Impacts of Climate Change:
1.
Heatwaves:
●
The Lancet report indicates that rapidly increasing
temperatures exposed vulnerable populations (adults above 65 years old and
children younger than 1) to 3.7 billion more heatwave days in 2021 than
annually in 1986–2005.
2.
Risk of emerging diseases:
●
The changing climate is affecting the
spread of infectious disease, raising the risk of emerging diseases and
co-epidemics.
●
For instance, coastal waters are becoming
more suited for the transmission of Vibrio pathogens.
3.
Rising vector borne diseases:
●
The number of months suitable for malaria
transmission has increased in the highland
areas of the Americas and Africa.
4.
Impact on human lives:
●
The WHO has predicted that between 2030
and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 2,50,000 additional
deaths per year, from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea and heat stress.
5.
Agriculture:
●
Higher temperatures threaten crop yields directly, with the growth season shortening
for many cereal crops.
6.
Impact on food security:
●
Extreme weather events disrupt supply
chains, thereby undermining food availability,
access, stability, and utilisation.
7.
Malnutrition:
●
The prevalence of undernourishment
increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, and up to 161 million more people faced
hunger in 2020 than in 2019.
Government
Initiatives:
●
The Integrated Disease Surveillance
Programme (IDSP) was introduced in a few States in 2007, reporting 553
outbreaks in 2008 and increasing to 1,714 in 2017.
●
IDSP was replaced by the Integrated Health
Information Platform (IHIP). It is a web-enabled, near-real-time electronic
information system launched in seven States in 2018. IHIP expanded the scope by
including 20 additional disease conditions.
●
A holistic approach known as One Health -
integrates monitoring of human, animal, plant, and environmental health. This
approach plays a crucial role in preventing outbreaks, especially those
originating from animals.
WAY
FORWARD:
1.
Health-centred response:
●
A health-centred response to the
coexisting climate, energy and cost-of-living crises provides an opportunity to
deliver a healthy and low-carbon future.
2.
Assessment of the issue:
●
The government's commitment to assess and
address the threats from climate change are positive signs, the report
stresses.
3.
Holistic approach:
●
It would reduce the likelihood of the most
catastrophic climate change impacts, while improving energy security and
creating an opportunity for economic recovery.
4.
Shift in dietary patterns:
●
The report also calls for an accelerated
transition to balanced and more plant-based diets as that would help reduce
emissions from red meat and milk production and prevent diet-related deaths.
5.
Easing the healthcare:
●
The report emphasizes reducing the strain
on health-care providers, and leading to more robust health systems.