Washington Post Examines Impact of Climate Change on Diseases Such as Malaria
The Washington Post on Monday examined how climate change could affect global temperatures and rainfall, which might lead to an increase in mosquito populations and diseases such as malaria.
According to the Post, many scientists agree that "it is a near-certainty that global warming will drive significant increases in waterborne diseases around the world." Stephen Vavrus, director of the University of Wisconsin's Center for Climatic Research, said that a "warmer atmosphere holds more moisture," and therefore, "[o]ne of the strongest indicators from climate models is more intense rains." Warmer temperatures and heavier rainfalls could spur an increase in mosquito populations, which then might lead to rising rates of malaria and other diseases. The recent flooding in Texas from Hurricane Ike and the subsequent swell in mosquito populations are examples of climatic conditions that could drive an increase in waterborne diseases, Paul Epstein, associate director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School, said. According to Epstein, the impact of climate change on global health "is not 20 years away. It's already occurring." He added that researchers "need to be focused on the primary driver, which is our unstable climate," and should "protect, prepare and prevent" to deal with the global health effects of climate change (Lydersen, Washington Post, 10/20).
