Climate changes, environment and infection: Facts, scenarios and growing awareness from the public health community within Europe

Bezirtzoglou, Christos; Dekas, Konstantinos; Charvalos, Ekatherina

doi:10.1016/j.anaerobe.2011.05.016

Cited by 132 publications

(77 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Direct effects include damage on infrastructure that may affect food production and reductions in harvests and livestock caused by floods or drought. Several infectious diseases affecting livestock, such as anthrax and blackleg, may emerge after extreme weather events (Bezirtzoglou et al 2011;Skovgaard 2007).…”

Section: Climate Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Future threats to agricultural food production posed by environmental degradation, climate change, and animal and plant diseases – a risk analysis in three economic and climate settings

et al. 2014

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Global food security is one of the most pressing issues for humanity, and agricultural production is critical for achieving this. The existing analyses of specific threats to agricultural food production seldom bring out the contrasts associated with different levels of economic development and different climatic zones. We therefore investigated the same biophysical threats in three modelled types of countries with different economic and climatic conditions. The threats analysed were environmental degradation, climate change and diseases and pests of animals and plants. These threats were analysed with a methodology enabling the associated risks to be compared. The timeframe was 2012-2050 and the analysis was based on three underlying assumptions for 2050: the world population will have increased to 9 billion people, there will be a larger middle class in the world and climate change will be causing more extreme weather events, higher temperatures and altered precipitation. It is suggested that the risks, presented by the biophysical threats analysed, differ among the three modelled types of countries and that climate zone, public stewardship and economic strength are major determinants of these differences. These determinants are far from evenly spread among the world's major food producers, which implies that diversification of risk monitoring and international assessment of agricultural production is critical for assuring global food security in 2050.

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Section: Climate Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Future threats to agricultural food production posed by environmental degradation, climate change, and animal and plant diseases – a risk analysis in three economic and climate settings

et al. 2014

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“…Other implausible causes suggested include mycotoxins, ochratoxin A [31,60,61], hard water, and bioterrorism. Leptospirosis [62,63] can cause renal damage and is widespread in the NCP and other affected regions in Sri Lanka. However, other areas in the country, particularly gemming areas such as Ratnapura, Balangoda, and Uggal-Kaltota, are heavily infected with leptospirosis but have few or no patients with CKD-mfo.…”

Section: Fluoride Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Escalating chronic kidney diseases of multi-factorial origin in Sri Lanka: causes, solutions, and recommendations

Wimalawansa

2014

Environ Health Prev Med

125

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During the last two decades, Sri Lanka, located close to the equator, has experienced an escalating incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) of unknown aetiology (CKDue) in dry zonal areas. Similar incidences of unusual CKDs have been reported in the dry zonal, agricultural areas of several other equatorial countries. In Sri Lanka, the incidence of CKDue is highest in the North Central Province (NCP), where approximately 45 % of the country's paddy fields are located. However, in recent years, the disease has spread into areas adjacent to as well as distant from the NCP. The cause of CKD in Sri Lanka is unknown, and may likely due to interactions of different potential agents; thus, CKD is of multi-factorial origin (CKD-mfo). These factors include, the negative effects from overuse of agrochemicals. Nevertheless, the potential interactions and synergism between probable agents have not been studied. This systematic review discusses the proposed hypotheses and causes of CKD-mfo in Sri Lanka, and ways to decrease the incidence of this disease and to eradicate it, and provide some recommendations. During the past decade, a number of groups have investigated this disorder using different methodologies and reported various correlations, but failed to find a cause. Research has focussed on the contamination of water with heavy metals, agrochemicals, hard water, algae, ionicity, climate change, and so forth. Nevertheless, the levels of any of the pollutants or conditions reported in water in NPC are inconsistent not correlated with the prevalence of the disease, and are too low to be the sole cause of CKD-mfo. Meanwhile, several nephrotoxins prevalent in the region, including medications, leptospirosis, toxic herbs, illicit alcohol, locally grown tobacco, and petrochemicals, as well as the effects of changed habits occured over the past four decades have not been studied to date. Taken together, the geographical distribution and overall findings indicate that combinations of factors and/or their interactions are likely to precipitate CKD-mfo, which kills more than 5,000 people annually in Sri Lanka; most victims are middleaged male farmers. Much anecdotal evidence from this region suggests that consumption of contaminated water is the most likely source of this deadly disease. Although the aetiology is unknown, prevention of this ''environmentally acquired'' disease seems relatively straightforward. Solutions include (a) preventing environmental pollution, (b) stopping the irresponsible use and decreasing the usage of agrochemicals, and encouraging the use of environmentally friendly agricultural methods, (c) taking proper precautions when using agrochemicals and safe disposal of their containers, (d) changing the risky behaviour of farmers and educating them to preserve the environment, and (e) providing clean potable water to all affected regions. Implementing a well-coordinated, in-depth, region-wide, broad-based research study together with a long-term effective surveillance programme across the country i...

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“…The term change must be converted in changes. Climate evolution in Europe is an interesting example to understand the current situation [2,4].…”

Section: Will Send Swarms Of Flies On You and Your Officials On Yomentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The new warming could led to a preoccupation about effects on ordinary lifestyles and consciousness for investing money, intelligence and diligent effort in developing strategies of control and novel tools adequate to current challenges. The general message about the current climate change is that the temperature of the planet is increasing, probably as a consequence of human activities impact [1][2][3]. However, our planet is a complex dynamic system.…”

Section: Will Send Swarms Of Flies On You and Your Officials On Yomentioning

confidence: 99%

Current mosquito-borne disease emergencies in Italy and climate changes. The neem opportunity

Nicoletti¹,

Murugan²,

Serrone³

2014

Trends Vector Res Parasitol

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General concern is that global climate changes will be very important for mosquito-borne diseases diffusion. Three examples concerning current alarms in Italy are reported. The three examples concern different vectors and different stories, from novel introduction of aggressive and dangerous species (Tiger mosquito) with general damages in the country to new virulences of already known diseases (Xilella fastidiosa) and BTV (Blue Tong Virus) in particular regions (Puglia and Sardinia, respectively) Microorganisms have a great advantage to adapt easily to environment, being able to change their genome more rapidly than our genome with a mutation rate of approximately 0.3% per million years. Our genetic background is not able to keep up this increasing mismatch. Therefore, as already experienced, technology is our only possibility to perform tools to face changes and their consequences. Any real utilization for any new need or necessity is a challenge of interdisciplinarity researches. After the disasters derived by the use of synthetic insecticides, natural products seem in pool position for developing of a new generation of eco-friendly and sustainable control of borne-insect vector diseases. The current studies for controlling insect vectors at the larval stage using natural products from neem tree (Azadirachta indica) are reported.

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Climate changes, environment and infection: Facts, scenarios and growing awareness from the public health community within Europe

Cited by 132 publications

References 23 publications

Future threats to agricultural food production posed by environmental degradation, climate change, and animal and plant diseases – a risk analysis in three economic and climate settings

Future threats to agricultural food production posed by environmental degradation, climate change, and animal and plant diseases – a risk analysis in three economic and climate settings

Escalating chronic kidney diseases of multi-factorial origin in Sri Lanka: causes, solutions, and recommendations

Current mosquito-borne disease emergencies in Italy and climate changes. The neem opportunity

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