Following is part of the ‘A World Health Day Message from Caricom/PAHO’ on the relationship between Climate Change and human health.  World Health Day was on April 07, 2008, but the message remains apropos today. 

Much of the emphasis in this piece published in Caribbean Net News on April 05 is on the potential for an increased incidence of Dengue Fever.  However, there are the associated costs to our people if we do not take heed and act accordingly to reduce this and other threats posed by Vector borne diseases such as Malaria and the other ills. 

We are referring here to the issues surrounding the flooding of low-lying areas and the destruction of valuable infrastructure including arable lands; the water-borne diseases that would occur as a result; the respiratory illnesses that people will suffer from due to air pollution; energy concerns that could breed more poverty; and on and on.

(The bolds and italics are all ours.)

The health of each man, woman and child in the Caribbean is being affected by climate change. In this, the first part of a series on the lead-up to World Health Day on April 7, the link between climate change and health is examined, and we look at what each individual can do to help combat this worrying trend.

Though one may not readily see a connection between climate change and health, the two are inextricably linked.

Studies from around the world show that climate and weather have a powerful impact on human life and health.  Already the effects are being seen in the region with the sharp increase in Dengue Fever cases in Caribbean countries in recent years.

Dengue is caused by a virus transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, and mosquitoes are sensitive to direct effects of climate such as temperature, humidity, rainfall patterns and wind.

It is thought that the warmer temperatures being experienced have accelerated the growth of mosquito populations, and hence the spread of this deadly virus.

As such, Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever and Dengue Shock Syndrome are forecast to increase in the tropics and sub-tropics as a result of climate change.

In the Caribbean, Dengue cases have climbed from a few hundred a year in the 1980s to as many as 8,000 a year since the early 1990s.

And, according to researchers on the Assessments of Impacts and Adaptations to Climate Change (AIACC) study which was released in Bali, Indonesia last year, cases could triple by the 2080s if there is an estimated two degree centigrade temperature rise in the Caribbean.

This would deal the region a double whammy.

That is, it could impact on the health of the local population, and the growing number of cases could strike the economically-important tourism industry which accounts for nearly 70 per cent of Gross Domestic Product in Antigua and more than 10 per cent in many other islands.

Because of such factors, the World Heath Organisation (WHO) has dedicated this year’s World Health Day on April 7 to focussing on the need to protect health from the adverse effects of climate change, given the threats it poses to global public health security.

The theme, “Protecting Health From Climate Change” puts health at the centre of the global dialogue about climate change.

In what other ways can climate change impact on heath?

  • The increased incidence of mosquitoes and other vector-borne diseases like Malaria (as occurred in Jamaica last year) and Leptospirosis from rodents, as high temperatures favour the proliferation of mosquitoes and other disease carriers;
  • A high occurrence of heat- and stress-related illnesses and conditions;
  • An increase in water related diseases, especially water-borne diseases, including skin conditions like dermatitis, particularly following extreme rainfall;
  • Contamination of potable water, particularly following extreme rainfall, and the seepage of contaminants from illegal dumping of solid and other waste into underground aquifers;
  • Increased occurrence of respiratory ailments like asthma and allergies; and
  • Loss of life as a result of flooding, contaminated water, unsanitary conditions and respiratory diseases.

That’s the bad news.

The good news is that through increased collaboration, the global community will be better prepared to cope with climate-related health challenges world-wide.