Diseases Appear on Rise With Temperature

[jpak]

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/thrive/2006/nov/14/111408696.html

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - A warmer world already seems to be producing a sicker world, health experts reported Tuesday, citing surges in Kenya, China and Europe of such diseases as malaria, heart ailments and dengue fever.

"Climate affects some of the most important diseases afflicting the world," said Diarmid Campbell-Lendrum of the World Health Organization. "The impacts may already be significant."

Kristie L. Ebi, an American public health consultant for the agency, warned "climate change could overwhelm public health services."

The specialists laid out recent findings as the two-week U.N. climate conference entered its final four days, grappling with technical issues concerning operation of the Kyoto Protocol, and trying to set a course for future controls on global greenhouse gas emissions.

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[Richard D]

1. My dog . . .

. . . recently died from a tick-borne illness that used to be only in tropical regions. So sad. A victim of global warming for sure.

[bluerum]

2. Gee. Who woulda thought that bacteria and disease carrying

microbials and insects would thrive in a warm moist environment?

[LynzM]

3. Interesting...

Some diseases appear to have the opposite affect - they are held off by warmth but once the weather turns cold, they thrive (see the plague, ~550-600 a.d.)

Everything affects everything else... which, sadly, seems to be something that not enough people understand. Thanks for the link.