When
people hear “global warming,” they usually think melting ice caps, rising sea
levels, and superstorms. But did you know that global warming also makes it
easier for diseases to spread? That’s right - the next plague could be looming
on the horizon. And the last one took millions of lives!
Bacteria
and parasites thrive in warmer temperatures, making them somewhat seasonal in a
certain parts of the world. But not anymore. Longer summers mean longer lifespans.
More contagious diseases. And “there [are] A LOT of diseases,” stresses Sonia
Altizer, an associate professor at the University of Georgia. “Especially in
natural systems, where there as a pretty clear signal that either the
prevalence or severity of those diseases has increased in response to climate
change.”
Altizer
is co-author of a recently published study on climate trends over the last
decade. She continues:
“So
in the arctic, there are parasitic worms that affect muskox and reindeer that
are developing faster and becoming more prevalent and expanding their ranges.
And then in tropical oceans, like Caribbean coral reefs, there’s a large amount
of evidence that has mounted that shows that warming interferes with the
symbiosis of corals – makes them more vulnerable to disease and at the same
time increases the growth rate of some lethal bacteria.”
So
no matter where you live – in a warm climate, or chilly – no one is safe from bacteria.
Thankfully, we have studies like Altizer’s to help us prepare for the future.
“Knowing
why different pathogens respond differently to climate change is what’s needed
to help us predict and ultimately manage disease outbreaks in people and
animals and plants,” she says.
Some
continents are much more equipped to handle the next plague than others, like
North America and Europe, who have “surveillance, vector control, modern
sanitation, drugs, and vaccines. [They] can be deployed to prevent outbreaks of
a lot of diseases, especially vector borne disease or diarrheal disease that
are much more problematic in the developing world. And so these can counter the
effects of climate change and make it hard to detect increases in those
pathogens,” says Altizer.
“Controlling
vectors” refers to controlling parasites like ticks and mosquitos, which have
been known to transmit yellow fever and malaria.
In
developing countries, a pathogenic outbreak could destroy the agricultural
economy. Lost crops. Dead cattle. The livelihoods of farmers and their families
are at stake.
How
concerned should we be? Well, according to Altizer, the answer isn’t exactly
black and white.
“It
really depends on the location. Where, when and what pathogen? So I think we’re
at a stage now where in the next five to ten years scientists will be able to
move towards a predictive framework that will be able to answer questions about
where in the world and what pathogens are responding and will continue to
respond most strongly to climate change.”
The
effects of global warming are unfolding slowly, and should stretch decades,
making it crucial to document and analyze data.
[ global warming, Sonia Altizer, Ana shell, Ana Shell NRGLab, ana shell sh-box, Anastasia Samoylova, NRGlab, NRGLab Pte Ltd, sh-box nrglab ]
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