Study Connects Climate Events to Infectious Diseases

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Study Connects Climate Events to Infectious Diseases

A new study finds climate events such as flooding, heat waves and drought worsen more than half of the known diseases that infect people. These diseases include malaria¹, cholera² and anthrax.

Researchers examined medical literature of established cases of such diseases. They found out that 218 out of the known 375 human infectious diseases, or 58 percent, seemed to be made worse by extreme weather connected to climate change. The results appeared this week in the publication Nature Climate Change.

The study connected more than 1000 pathways from climate events to sick people. In some cases, heavy rains and flooding sicken people through disease-carrying mosquitos, rats and deer. Other events, like warming oceans and heat waves, spoil seafood³ and droughts bring bats carrying viral infections to people.

Medical doctors, going back to the days of ancient Greek civilization, have long connected disease to weather. But this study shows how widespread the influence of climate is on human health.

"If climate is changing, the risk of these diseases are changing," said study co-leader Dr. Jonathan Patz, director of the Global Health Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Dr. Carlos del Rio is an Emory University infectious disease specialist who was not involved in the study. He said, "The findings of this study are terrifying and illustrate⁴ well the enormous consequences of climate change on human pathogens."

Del Rio said humans "need to all work together to prevent" disaster from climate change.

In addition to looking at infectious diseases, the researchers explored data on all kinds of human sicknesses, including non-infectious conditions like asthma⁵, allergies⁶ and animal bites. They wanted to learn how many sicknesses could connect to climate events in some way.

They found a total of 286 unique sicknesses, and 223 of them seemed to be worsened by climate events. The study found nine of the conditions were reduced by climate events.

Real-life examples

Camilo Mora, a climate data expert at the University of Hawaii, is a co-leader of the study. He said the study is not about predicting future cases. "These are things that have already happened," he noted⁷.

One example Mora knows from his own experience. About five years ago, Mora's home in rural Colombia was flooded, creating a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Mora contracted Chikungunya, a virus spread by mosquito bites. He survived, but he still suffers pain related to the disease.

In another case, the remains⁸ of a reindeer⁹ dead from anthrax were unearthed¹⁰ as the Siberian permafrost melted from warming in 2016. A child touched the dead animal, got anthrax, and an outbreak spread.

Dr. Aaron Bernstein is with the Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment at Harvard School of Public Health. He and other outside experts said the study is a good warning about climate and health for now and the future.

Bernstein added in an email. "But of course, it only reports on what we already know and what's yet unknown about pathogens may be yet more compelling about how preventing further climate change may prevent future disasters like COVID-19."

Words in This Story

drought - n. a long period with little or no rain

spoil - v. to decay or lose freshness

illustrate - v. to be proof or evidence

enormous - adj. very great in size or amount

consequence - n. something that happens as a result of action or condition

pathogen - n. bacteria or virus that causes disease

unique - adj. very special

compelling - adj. very interesting

1 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

2 cholera   

n.霍乱

参考例句：

• The cholera outbreak has been contained.霍乱的发生已被控制住了。
• Cholera spread like wildfire through the camps.霍乱在营地里迅速传播。

3 seafood   

n.海产食品，海味，海鲜

参考例句：

• There's an excellent seafood restaurant near here.离这儿不远有家非常不错的海鲜馆。
• Shrimps are a popular type of seafood.小虾是比较普遍的一种海味。

4 illustrate   

v.举例说明，阐明；图解，加插图

参考例句：

• The company's bank statements illustrate its success.这家公司的银行报表说明了它的成功。
• This diagram will illustrate what I mean.这个图表可说明我的意思。

5 asthma   

n.气喘病，哮喘病

参考例句：

• I think he's having an asthma attack.我想他现在是哮喘病发作了。
• Its presence in allergic asthma is well known.它在过敏性气喘中的存在是大家很熟悉的。

6 allergies   

n.[医]过敏症；[口]厌恶，反感；（对食物、花粉、虫咬等的）过敏症( allergy的名词复数 )；变态反应，变应性

参考例句：

• Food allergies can result in an enormous variety of different symptoms. 食物过敏会引发很多不同的症状。 来自辞典例句
• Let us, however, examine one of the most common allergies; hayfever. 现在让我们来看看最常见的变态反应的一种--枯草热。 来自辞典例句

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

9 reindeer   

n.驯鹿

参考例句：

• The herd of reindeer was being trailed by a pack of wolves.那群驯鹿被一只狼群寻踪追赶上来。
• The life of the Reindeer men was a frontier life.驯鹿时代人的生活是一种边区生活。

10 unearthed   

出土的（考古）

参考例句：

• Many unearthed cultural relics are set forth in the exhibition hall. 展览馆里陈列着许多出土文物。
• Some utensils were in a state of decay when they were unearthed. 有些器皿在出土时已经残破。