236
At least 21 persons lost their lives due to cold wave that hit the US Midwest and
hospitals treated patients affected by frostbites (BBC 2019).
Cold and snow in Eastern Europe from end of January to first half of February
2012 led to the demise of at least 824 citizens as well as hospitalization of more than
7000. A storm in the central and eastern United States at the end of February 2012
killed at least 13 people besides injuring more than 200 people (Benfield 2012).
Weather conditions due to change in climate can affect the transportation of air
pollutants besides pollen production; rise in the ground level ozone concentration;
combustion of fossil fuel due to energy demands; increase in wildfires. Water pollution due to increased urban/rural runoff can further compound the health problem.
Population displacement due to environmental degradation or the natural disasters,
sea level rise, is likely to result in substantial physical as well as mental health problems (Githeko and Woodward 2003).
The key health concerns due to climate change in Asia and Africa are malaria and
cholera apart from air pollution-related illnesses and thermal stress. Resistance to
chloroquine by parasites’ and resistance of vector to insecticides further complicate
the problem to control malaria (Githeko and Woodward 2003).
An average of 130 people living in disaster-affected areas died per million due to
various disasters from 2000 to 2017 as compared to 18 people in high income countries (CRED and UNISDR 2018) confirming poverty increases the vulnerability of
people to disasters. 138,000 casualties from Cyclone Nargis occurred in Myanmar
in the year 2008. In 2010, around 56,000 people died in Russia due to a heat wave
and 20,000 people died in Somalia due to drought (CRED and UNISDR 2018). In
1998 floods affected 239 million people and, in 2002, sandstorm affected 100 million people in China (CRED and UNISDR 2018).
Droughts are usually slow-onset events, which have impacts on food security and
rural livelihoods in nations dependent on agriculture (FAO 2018). Drought in 2002
affected 300 million Indians and the draught in 2015 affected 365 people in
D.P.R. Korea, India, Malawi, and Ethiopia (CRED and UNISDR 2018).
Vectors breading in water depend on surface water availability spread of malaria,
dengue, and yellow fever (WHO 2003). Increase in CO 2 levels from around 300 to
600 ppm leads to four times enhancement in the generation of ragweed pollen
(Ziska and Caulfield 2000a, b) linked to allergies. The main pathogens that cause
acute gastroenteritis reproduce more rapidly in warmer conditions inferring linkage
of greater risk of illness at higher temperatures with, other variables being equal
(WHO 2003).
As the world struggled to cope with a COVID-19 crisis in late 2019 that extended
to mid of 2020 some argue climate crisis is not most pressing concern (Manzanedo
and Manning 2020).
COVID-19 crisis has caused 9+ million confirmed cases and 400,000+ deaths at
the mid of 2020 offered ability to understand, prevent, and manage global emergencies better than before. The COVID-19 crisis has heavily affected the global economy. As per Manzanedo and Manning (2020) the lessons we can learn COVID-19
and climate change are as follows:
6 Public Health
At least 21 persons lost their lives due to cold wave that hit the US Midwest and
hospitals treated patients affected by frostbites (BBC 2019).
Cold and snow in Eastern Europe from end of January to first half of February
2012 led to the demise of at least 824 citizens as well as hospitalization of more than
7000. A storm in the central and eastern United States at the end of February 2012
killed at least 13 people besides injuring more than 200 people (Benfield 2012).
Weather conditions due to change in climate can affect the transportation of air
pollutants besides pollen production; rise in the ground level ozone concentration;
combustion of fossil fuel due to energy demands; increase in wildfires. Water pollution due to increased urban/rural runoff can further compound the health problem.
Population displacement due to environmental degradation or the natural disasters,
sea level rise, is likely to result in substantial physical as well as mental health problems (Githeko and Woodward 2003).
The key health concerns due to climate change in Asia and Africa are malaria and
cholera apart from air pollution-related illnesses and thermal stress. Resistance to
chloroquine by parasites’ and resistance of vector to insecticides further complicate
the problem to control malaria (Githeko and Woodward 2003).
An average of 130 people living in disaster-affected areas died per million due to
various disasters from 2000 to 2017 as compared to 18 people in high income countries (CRED and UNISDR 2018) confirming poverty increases the vulnerability of
people to disasters. 138,000 casualties from Cyclone Nargis occurred in Myanmar
in the year 2008. In 2010, around 56,000 people died in Russia due to a heat wave
and 20,000 people died in Somalia due to drought (CRED and UNISDR 2018). In
1998 floods affected 239 million people and, in 2002, sandstorm affected 100 million people in China (CRED and UNISDR 2018).
Droughts are usually slow-onset events, which have impacts on food security and
rural livelihoods in nations dependent on agriculture (FAO 2018). Drought in 2002
affected 300 million Indians and the draught in 2015 affected 365 people in
D.P.R. Korea, India, Malawi, and Ethiopia (CRED and UNISDR 2018).
Vectors breading in water depend on surface water availability spread of malaria,
dengue, and yellow fever (WHO 2003). Increase in CO 2 levels from around 300 to
600 ppm leads to four times enhancement in the generation of ragweed pollen
(Ziska and Caulfield 2000a, b) linked to allergies. The main pathogens that cause
acute gastroenteritis reproduce more rapidly in warmer conditions inferring linkage
of greater risk of illness at higher temperatures with, other variables being equal
(WHO 2003).
As the world struggled to cope with a COVID-19 crisis in late 2019 that extended
to mid of 2020 some argue climate crisis is not most pressing concern (Manzanedo
and Manning 2020).
COVID-19 crisis has caused 9+ million confirmed cases and 400,000+ deaths at
the mid of 2020 offered ability to understand, prevent, and manage global emergencies better than before. The COVID-19 crisis has heavily affected the global economy. As per Manzanedo and Manning (2020) the lessons we can learn COVID-19
and climate change are as follows:
6 Public Health