Climate change may leads to spurt in malaria cases
The climate change caused by global warming could expose a whopping 22 to 40 crore people worldwide to malaria. Besides by 2080 a population of 15 to 35 lakh faces the threat of being afflicted by dengue. There are some of the alarming projections on the health front made by the intergovernmental panel on climate change headed by Rajendra pachauri, who received the Nobel prize this year for the report on global warming and climate change.
UNDP report quotes the Pachauri report and warns" increased rain, even in short downpours, warmer temperatures and humidity creates 'a perfect storm' for the spread of the plasmodium parasite that causes malaria. Rising temperature can extend the range and elevation of mosquito populations, as well as halving incubation periods. More disconcerting still is the seasonal transmission period may also increases, effectively increasing the average per capita exposure to malaria infection by 16-28 percent.
The other health related projection made by the IPCC is that summer heat related mortality could increase 55 percent by the 2020s more than double by 2050s and triple by 2080s.
It will also contribute indirectly to the increase incidences of vector-borne diseases and malaria, wide prevalence of water-borne disease organisms and increased photochemical air pollution.
New Indian Express, Decmber 18th, 2007
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