Khaberni - The world has been witnessing accelerated climate changes in recent decades, affecting all aspects of life on planet Earth. These changes are not limited to rising temperatures or melting ice, but extend to include entire ecological systems, and have a direct impact on the spread of pathogenic microbes and the diseases associated with them.
First: The relationship between climate and microbes:
Microbes — including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites — are clearly affected by temperature, humidity, and changes in rainfall patterns. For example, higher temperatures accelerate the life cycle of many pathogens, and increase the activity of insects and living carriers such as mosquitoes, ticks, and sand flies, contributing to the spread of diseases that were previously confined to specific regions, becoming transboundary.
Second: Examples of microbial diseases affected by climate change:
1- Malaria:
Its spread increases with higher temperatures and increased rainfall in some regions, creating a favorable environment for the breeding of Anopheles mosquitoes, the vector for the Plasmodium parasite.
Mountainous regions that were cold have now become potential environments for the spread of malaria due to their increased temperature.
2- Cholera:
Cholera bacteria thrive in warm, nutrient-rich waters, and with water floods and rising temperatures, incidences of the disease outbreak increase in coastal areas and those with poor sanitation.
3- Dengue Fever:
Dengue virus caused by Aedes aegypti has expanded its areas of spread to regions previously unsuitable due to warmer climates and increased humidity.
4- Cutaneous Leishmaniasis:
The activity of the sand fly, the carrier of the parasite, increases with climate change and drought, leading to the emergence of the disease in new areas in the Middle East and Africa where the sand fly breeds in climates described as moderately to highly warm and with moderate relative humidity in desert and semi-desert areas.
5- Water and foodborne diseases
Such as Salmonella and Escherichia coli, where their proliferation in contaminated foods and water increases with higher temperatures and poor storage.
Third: Health and environmental consequences
These changes lead to an increased health burden on poor communities, which lack adequate health and water infrastructure, making them more susceptible to epidemics and threatening agriculture and animals, thus impacting food security and the safety of ecological chains.
Fourth: Strategies for response and adaptation can be summarized as follows:
1- Enhancing epidemiological monitoring systems for early detection of emerging diseases.
2- Improving water and sanitation services to reduce the spread of waterborne diseases.
3- Scientific research and vaccinations to combat microbes adapted to the new climate.
4- Health education and awareness to increase community readiness to face environmental and health risks.
Conclusion
Climate change is no longer just an environmental issue, but has become a global health challenge that threatens humans, animals, and the ecological system alike. Controlling its causes and international cooperation in mitigating its effects are fundamental pillars in protecting humanity from microbial diseases that could reshape the global health map in the coming decades.
