And The Spread Of Malaria Climate Change And The Spread Of Malaria Marian Herbick

Outline Climate change overview Malaria overview How does climate change influence malaria? Consequences What is being done to control malaria spread? Counterarguments

Global Climate Change - A Real Phenomenon Humans have the ability to change the atmosphere’s composition and add to the “greenhouse effect” In 2005, concentration of CO2 was 381 ppm (280 ppm in pre-industrial era) Average temp. graphs show some sporadic decreases from year to year, but overall there is an obvious upward trend.

The Greenhouse Effect

Climate Change Implications Loss of property due to higher sea levels Loss of habitat for arctic-dwelling species Large scale coral reef damage Severe heat waves (human death) ** Increased spread of infectious disease, including malaria **

-Renee Arnold, president of The Ontario College of Family Physicians “When we think about climate change, we typically think about how it will affect our environment, but we need to start thinking about how it affects our health, too.” -Renee Arnold, president of The Ontario College of Family Physicians

Malaria 350 to 500 million cases/year One million deaths/year Transmitted by the female Anopheles mosquito Symptoms include fever, chills, headache, muscle ache, and tiredness but can be more severe Should be treated ASAP, can be controlled with prescription drugs.

Of the malaria infections, 85% occur in sub-Saharan Africa. Prevention is simple Malaria strikes in poor areas where people often do not have the financial means to access preventative resources.

How Are They Connected? Mosquitoes thrive in warm environments Higher average temperatures make conditions more favorable for mosquitoes and pathogen development. Average temp has risen by 1/2 degree since 1950. This half-degree centigrade can translate to a 30-100% increase in mosquito abundance. Mosquitoes are #1 malaria vector.

Malaria Spread Malaria is spreading into areas where it is not usually found due to increasingly hospitable conditions for mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are moving higher up into mountains (example: Mount Kenya). Early colonizers escaped to mountains to avoid malaria. Malaria no longer restricted to tropical areas.

Malaria in the US? Malaria is endemic in most of Southern Hemisphere, including Mexico (close to US) Malaria was eradicated from the US in 1951. Center for Disease Control and Prevention acknowledges that reintroduction of malaria into the US is a constant risk due to higher temperatures.

Human Health Consequences Movement to mountains puts millions more people at risk. 10% of the world’s population lives in the mountains of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Malaria already kills 3,000 children/day

Economic Consequences Total cost of malaria is between 5.8% and 17.4% Gross National Product Decreases economic growth in some countries by 1.3%/year. Malaria fuels a cycle in which healthy people succumb to the disease and are taken out of the labor market.

What Action Has Been Taken? Most important way to combat is through recognition and information. The US has performed few climate-health studies. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) noted an altered distribution of infectious disease due to increasing temperature. 1 of the 8 Millennium Development Goals is the “reversal of the spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases”. WHO set aside $10 million for an advocacy program to inform people about the health dangers of climate change.

Other reasons for malaria increase? Increased drug resistance in malaria parasites Infrequent use of pesticides in vector breeding grounds Deforestation Cultivation of swamps Rapid population growth Most researchers note that climate change exacerbates problem.

Conclusion Malaria is a major global health concern. Malaria is easy to prevent, but the epidemic is becoming more out of control due to global warming. “Malaria has become the most dangerous disease following natural disasters” -Associate director of the Centre for Health and the Global Environment Paul Epstein We need to take control of global warming not only for the environment, but for our lives.