Climate change may induce a more deadly dengue

New Delhi, Dec 17 (UNI) A more deadly dengue may be an indirect off-shoot of the impending climate change besides its direct effects like rising sea level, intense cyclones, floods and droughts, says a World Bank study.

Higher temperatures (between 0.9 to 1.3 degrees celsius by 2050), changes in water supply, extreme weather events and decline in agriculture would have significant impact on public health and safety, says the study on adaptation to climate change, released at an international conference here.

The changes could cause a significant increase in the frequency and intensity of vector-borne and water-borne disease like dengue and malaria.

The study also underlines that the health-related effects of the changes would be more severe for the poor in developing countries.

There will be significant increases in the frequency, severity and distribution of dengue fever. The higher temperature would increase the biting rate of mosquitoes and decrease the incubation period of the dengue virus.

In countries where the malaria vector is found, the desease would spread repidly.

Diarrhoea disease was likely to become more common in warmer world, particularly in an environment of decreasing rainfall. Sea level rise could also increase the incidence of diarrhoea by disrupting sanitation and water supplies, the study said.

More intense cyclones and droughts would lead to increase in nutrition-related deficiencies. Loss of agriculture and fisheries could result in malnutrition and deterioration in standards of living, while the loss of land and infrastructure could lead to increased crowding conditions, exacerbating problems of urban management.

The study said the climate change was likely to affect coastal areas more than any other area. It would impact in three major ways-through rise in sea level, leading to erosion and inundation, through more intense cyclones and storm surges and through high sea-surface temperatures leading to decline in coral reef.

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