A team of experts warned, this Wednesday, that the appearance of harmful pathogenscalling for greater awareness and preparation of medicine to deal with the impact of climate change on the spread of diseases.
The study authorspublished in JAMA, “The Journal of the American Medical Association”, also appealed to the medical community to update their training and take action to combat global warming.
“Doctors need to be prepared to deal with the changing landscape of infectious diseases”said the text’s lead author, George R. Thompson, highlighting that “learning about the link between climate change and disease behavior can help guide the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of infectious diseases.”
According to the professor of medicine at the University of California, doctors must maintain “a high index of suspicion for diseases on the move.”
“I think that, as our understanding of the disease improves, there will be more tests and, therefore, we will have fewer cases”, said the specialist in infectious diseases, microbiology and medical immunology.
Infectious diseases can be caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi or parasites, many of which are transmitted from animals to humans or between humans.
Among infectious diseases, they point out, are diseases transmitted by vectors (mosquitoes, fleas and ticks), such as dengue fever, malaria and the Zika virus.
Changing precipitation patterns are increasing the range of vectors and their periods of activityaccording to the study.
Shorter, warmer winters and longer summers are also associated with a greater number of diseases transmitted by vectors.
“We are seeing cases of tick-borne diseases in January and February”noted study author Matthew Phillips.
The infectious disease researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School said that “tick season starts earlier and with more ticks active over a wider area.”
“The number of tick bites is increasing and, with it, tick-borne diseases”he indicated.
Also the mosquitoes that transmit malaria are expanding north due to climate change. Changing precipitation patterns have led to greater numbers of mosquitoes and a higher rate of disease transmission.
“One of the scariest things that happened last summer was the locally acquired cases of malaria [nos Estados Unidos]. We saw cases in Texas and Florida and then north to Maryland, which was really surprising. It happened to people who hadn’t traveled outside the United States,” she recalled.
Changes in precipitation patterns and coastal water temperatures also can affect the spread of waterborne diseasessuch as E. coli and the choleric vibrio.
The study also pointed to the appearance of new fungal infections, such as Candida auris (C. auris), and for changes in the location of some fungal pathogens.
Experts recalled that, in recent years, infectious diseases, such as Covid-19, have had a huge impact on the world.
“They can emerge and cause absolute chaos around the world and then we forget about them for a while. However, the epidemic and pandemic potential of infections requires us to stay engaged with federal funding agencies and advisory groups to ensure that infectious diseases do not go unnoticed by the public again”, explained George R. Thompson.
The team added that more robust measures should be implemented to monitor infectious diseases and urged medical educators to train clinicians to anticipate changes in standards.
