Diarrhoea is often caused by a lack of safe water; water security is an issue in the Pacific Islands where they rely heavily on rainfall. Climate change is affecting weather patterns worldwide, and has affected the intensity and frequency of rainfall in the Pacific Islands.
Another study conducted in Fiji also showed a positive correlation, using Poisson regression analysis, between diarrhoea and temperature, and diarrhoea and extremes of rainfall. (Singh et al 2001)
This threat is much less in larger Island states who often have aquifers or underground stores of water which are largely fuelled by rainfall but are still available in rainfall shortages. (Singh et al 2001)
The Pacific Islands are situated in the EL Niño (ENSO) zone. ENSO is the strongest naturally occurring source of climate variability in the world. It already influences diseases during amplified ENSO cases, it is thought that ENSO will be affected by climate change, and that the worst areas to be affected will be in the Pacific area, this spells out bad news for the Island states who are expected to be most vulnerable to the associated changes in health risks. ENSO has already been linked to incidences of malaria in South America, rift valley fever in east Africa, dengue fever in Thailand, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in south western USA, childhood diarrhoeal disease in Peru and cholera in Bangladesh (Bouma 1996). However it should be remembered that it is currently unclear whether global warming will significantly increase the amplitude of ENSO variability. But if it does it is thought it will decrease rainfall in certain Pacific Islands and therefore increase diarrhoeal diseases. (Patz et al 2005)
Another study conducted in Fiji also showed a positive correlation, using Poisson regression analysis, between diarrhoea and temperature, and diarrhoea and extremes of rainfall. (Singh et al 2001)
This threat is much less in larger Island states who often have aquifers or underground stores of water which are largely fuelled by rainfall but are still available in rainfall shortages. (Singh et al 2001)
The Pacific Islands are situated in the EL Niño (ENSO) zone. ENSO is the strongest naturally occurring source of climate variability in the world. It already influences diseases during amplified ENSO cases, it is thought that ENSO will be affected by climate change, and that the worst areas to be affected will be in the Pacific area, this spells out bad news for the Island states who are expected to be most vulnerable to the associated changes in health risks. ENSO has already been linked to incidences of malaria in South America, rift valley fever in east Africa, dengue fever in Thailand, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in south western USA, childhood diarrhoeal disease in Peru and cholera in Bangladesh (Bouma 1996). However it should be remembered that it is currently unclear whether global warming will significantly increase the amplitude of ENSO variability. But if it does it is thought it will decrease rainfall in certain Pacific Islands and therefore increase diarrhoeal diseases. (Patz et al 2005)
References
Bouma, M. Van der
Kaay, H. (1996) ‘The El-Niño Southern Oscillation and the historic malaria
epidemics on the Indian subcontinent and Sri Lanka: an early warning system for
epidemics’ Trop Med Int Health, 1:86–96
Singh, R. Hales, S.
de Wet, N. Raj, R. Hearnden, M. Weinstein, P. (2001), ‘The influence of climate
variation and change on diarrheal disease in the Pacific Islands.’, Environ
Health Perspect, 109(2): 155–159.
Patz, J.
Campbell-Lendrum, D. Holloway, T. Foley, A. (2005), ‘Impact of regional climate
change on human health’, nature, 438, 310-17
Interesting piece Kate - You might like to have a look at this Guardian article from last year which puts the spotlight on Tuvalu http://gu.com/p/32jaj
ReplyDeleteThanks Nick, that article was interesting, and it corresponds to my newly posted video which also touches on the fear of identity loss if people are forced to leave their home. I also found the part on the US airstrip (that was used during the Second World War)interesting as I wouldn't have thought that something like that would be a contributor to the increasing rates of diarrhea. But seeing as they made holes which are now used as pits for waste disposal, they are polluting their freshwater supply. Bit upsetting to see the Western World contributing to the small islands demise on such a local level, the US should have cleared up after themselves.
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