Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Climate Change and Health: Water-Borne Diseases
The posts in our climate change and health series have been discussing the range of consequences climate change may have on human health.
Increased precipitation could cause flooding & lead to water supply contamination, spreading water-borne diseases such as cholera & parasitic illnesses.
A report published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine in October 2008 predicts increased risk for water-borne illness around the Great Lakes, potentially affecting 40 million people, due to an increase in climate-related extreme rainfall that could overwhelm storm water and sewage systems, potentially diverting raw sewage to Lake Michigan - a key source of drinking water.
While some regions will be effected by extreme precipitation, others will experience drought. These drier conditions can also spread water-borne illness as a single infected source could be shared by more people than usual.
This is Part 6 of 7 in our Climate Change and Health series.
Part 1 - Climate Change and Health
Part 2 - Heat-Related Issues
Part 3 - Malaria
Part 4 - Lyme Disease
Part 5 - Mental Health
Part 6 - Water-borne Disease
Part 7 - Extreme Weather Events
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Hi, again. This isn't exactly on topic, but I read a blog post today (http://news.health.com/2009/05/11/climate-change-could-sting-allergy-asthma-sufferers/) that discusses research about how climate change may result in prolonged allergy season, and/or exacerbate asthma.
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely related though. For more on how climate change is going to affect people's breathing you can also take a look at Emily's post on heat-related issues.
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