Erratic Climate Patterns Spreading Disease
Climate change is wreaking havoc on wildlife, and causing a “potentially explosive situation” for both humans and animals in terms of health, according to wildlife conservation experts at the IUCN World Conservation Congress. The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has identified 12 deadly pathogens – avian influenza, babesia and cholera – that could spread into new regions as a result of climate change, and potentially cause irreparable damage to human and wildlife health, as well as global economies.
Global warming, for example, halves the incubation period for the malarial virus, increasing the spread of the disease to areas that have not been affected before. “We need to realise that our (human) practices are the drivers of diseases and by altering our practices, we can drive positive influences to health,” said Dr William Karesh, a veterinarian at WCS.
Neglect, and abuse, of the environment have led to floods, droughts and global warming – symptoms that, the panel of experts believe, are the “key drivers related to health”.
“Health is about being able to send your kids to school, it’s about being able to put food on the table, it’s about being free of diseases,” said Dr Michael Kock from the WCS. Climate change and variability, coupled with the breakdown of barriers between wildlife, livestock and humans, as well as the prevalence of infections like HIV, are combining to pose a pressing threat to healthy life as we know it, Kock added.
Rampant global wildlife trade is also a major concern as it not only threatens the existence of vulnerable species, but has spawned diseases of global public health and economic significance. It is estimated that some two billion pounds of bush meat is consumed annually in Centrally Africa alone, greatly increasing the chance of introducing HIV to humans.
Dr Kristine Smith, WCS, blames human activity like wildlife trade and natural habitat destruction for the “breaking down of natural barriers” which has led to “an increased exposure to (animal-based) pathogens”.
However, one of the main challenges, Smith says, is dealing with prejudices that arise from misinformation. “Our challenges really have been that there is still misconception regarding emerging infectious diseases. Because humans share 60 to 70 per cent of diseases with animals, many think animals are the problem. But the problem is really because of the way humans are interacting with these animals,” Smith said.
For this reason, Smith adds, it is important to take an “unbiased, holistic, and scientific approach” in outbreak response. “Health is a powerful tool to bring people together. Over the years, WCS has seen many new partners and new constituencies joining us in working toward these goals,” said Karesh.
The South African National Parks (SANP) has raised some 500,000 dollars through collaboration with NGOs and funding organisations like The Rockefeller Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, and USAID to conduct research. “This figure might appear small, specially if you compare to what the Lehman Brothers is getting, but for us this is really a milestone,” said Dr Nichola Shongwe, manager of Animal Health for the Environment And Development (AHEAD), SANP.
With resources scarce in wildlife conservation, Smith believes “we need to pool resources and come up with common solutions” while Kock says immediate action must be taken to stop the spread of diseases, especially among the rural communities, who end up being the worst victims of climate change. “We need to consider how to be better custodians of the earth, and work towards the goal of achieving one world, one health,” said Shongwe.
