Ticked Off: Climate Change and the Spread of Infectious Disease

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I was discussing the diagnosis with a friend. The raised, red bull's eye led to only one conclusion: he had to have Lyme disease. Our only hesitation was that it was early March, surprisingly early for ticks.

The conversation sparked a question: is Lyme disease spreading because of global warming? A little research turned up a few reports that confirmed our fear: climate change is, in fact, spreading the geography of Lyme. Confirmation can be a poor solace when it comes to disease.

For those of us who grew up in New England, where the woods remain dark and damp through the summer, each trek into the woods warranted a check for the small deer ticks known to carry Lyme. Though the disease has been reported in 49 of 50 states, nearly 99% of those cases are limited to the 5 geographic areas of New England, Mid-Atlantic, East-North Central, South Atlantic, and West North-Central. Ask a doctor from Darien about the disease, and they'll provide a lecture; ask a doctor from Denver, and they'll demur. Lyme has, and remains, very much a Northeast disease.

That is changing. Climate change has set the stage for the spread of Lyme across the North American continent, and abroad. Consider a few examples.

Ticks, mice are the primary hosts of Lyme, with birds playing a small role. According to predictions, climate change will alter rainfall patterns, while increasing areas of floodwater and humidity in the atmosphere. Together, these point to the kind of warmer, damper conditions in which disease-carrying pests like ticks, mosquitoes and rats, can thrive.

The other dominant factor is the increase in average global temperatures. The northward spread of warming conditions means the northward spread of infectious-diseases like Lyme into higher latitudes, while the increase in minimum temperatures similarly means the extension of these diseases into higher altitudes. Milder winters and higher average temperatures mean that regions of Canada and North American mountain ranges that have been too cold to host disease vectors are becoming increasingly suitable to the transmission of disease. According to one study, Lyme could move 200 kilometres north by 2020 and 1,000 kilometres north by the 2080.

There's no question that climate change is altering the epidemiology of infectious disease. (Click here for a study on the healthy risks associoated with climate instability.) But in the case of Lyme, our concern should be tempered not only by an understanding that the disease's geographic proliferation comes slowly, but by a reminder that it is spreading north into Canada and south into the Southern United States -- both regions of relative affluence with a strong public health education and medical resources.

Other areas of the world, namely the poorest regions -- areas of Africa, India and China -- will face compounding problems. The effects of climate change -- depletion of water, drought, and erosion -- could overcome already minimal public health resources and undermine struggling agricultural activity. The densely populated, low-lying mega-deltas in Africa and Asia will be especially hard-hit by coastal flooding, erosion, and wet-land loss.

Together, these changes threaten millions of people with an increase across the spectrum of the most basic human-health related troubles: increased malnutrition, increased death, disease and injury, and increased burden of diarrheal disease. This means the world's poorest children will be further handicapped by developmental disorders.

For those of us living in North America, climate change makes clear the true degree of our affluence. For every degree of suffering we sustain, we can be certain the world's poor are suffering more.

At this point, climate change is no longer a scientific question. It's a moral question, as well. Because when it comes to climate change - a problem of global cause and consequence - the responsibility, and the suffering, is spread unevenly.

Perhaps as Lyme and other infectious diseases spread north, it will remind us to spread our wealth south and east in the form of aid to those who need it most.

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Margie wrote on October 11, 2008, 01:56PM : Flag this comment as inappropriate

I am concerned that spreading diseases and wild weather patterns are being blamed solely on Global Warming. I don’t think we really know whether or not to believe that the earth is permanently getting warmer due to emissions or even if it is warming at all. Let me explain….I’m not saying that there is absolutely no change in the climate or weather patterns but what I do want to bring out is that the disease plagues may be caused by genetic engineering where they can and do make vectors and microbes hardier to withstand climatic conditions which they were not able to tolerate before. If you will notice, this very real aspect is never mentioned in the media.

Concerning all the natural disasters we have seen , involving hurricanes, earthquakes,tidal waves, floods and drought….governments do have the capabilities to influence and create these disasters. In the 1970s there was a UN Treaty called Covention on the Prohibition of Military or any other hostile use of Environmental Modification. They had the technology then to control the weather to some degree. Imagine what their capabilites are now. They even have tetonic weapons which can cause earthquakes and tidal waves as a result. If you want to learn more you could look up HAARP, Tetonic weapons, weather wars, weather modification and Weather as a Force Multiplier….Owning the Weather by 2025. This is a military document that you can find online. The fact that the possibility of these uncharacteristly severe storms being artificially created is never even mentioned in the media. I wonder why?

I agree that we are trashing the environment and that we need to change. However, global warming is being used as an excuse for everything and they are trying to use it to promote World Government. Gorbachev said….The environment will be the cornerstone for the new wold order. In other words it will be the fear inducing factor to promote their agenda. This economic collapse is alo playing in with the timing of everything else. We need to protect our environment but we just need to be awar that we are not all pushed into accepting something we wouldn’t normally accept…due to created chaos which engenders fear
Patti wrote on October 15, 2008, 09:21AM : Flag this comment as inappropriate

There is no doubt the changing climate is going to affect our current state of disease distribution. I want to commend Margie for bringing out a much needed awareness that the changing climate is not only due to global warming, but also to man made weather patterns. Desire to control the weather is a reality, and is due in part upon the weather's influence on military strategic planning. Margie has given very good sources of evidence for those who would like to learn more on this subject. Since this fact is so hush, hush, we can only guess as to which is the more critical contributor to the current increase in weather related disasters. Global warming is sure to play its part, but perhaps trial and error with developing these new technologies may be the more likely candidate. Thank you Margie.
T. Kelso wrote on December 02, 2008, 12:14PM : Flag this comment as inappropriate

Ya' know I had a weird feeling about the last hurricane "Ivan" Im pretty sure was the given name; It was while they were saturating the news and weather channels with the blow by blow (pardon the pun) of the hurricane getting ready to hit the Houston area; when all of the sudden in almost perfect staged synchronization at least three different broadcasting channels had their reporters feel it neccessary to emphasize how it had suddenly occured to them that "a category 3 0r 4 can most likely blow out the glass windows of the major High Rises in the city. and that "They need to be protected from this impending fate. Then each of those channels had their reporters point out that the TALLEST of the many downtown Houston towers being THE LEHMAN building could be a major example of the damage a storm like that could cause...and what do you know the main and pretty much only footage shown the following day of the Houston areas' devistating aftermath showed how the viscious storm blew out EVERY glass window of THAT VERY building. I thought it strange how their was glass all over the street DIRECTLY below and around this TARGETED building! Thank god the evil wind tunnel didnt send the glass flying wrecklessly throughtout the downtown area Its a B**** when that happens! and then later I found it further strange that the very same Lehman Company(headquarterd in Houston, No wonder the building is so tall); also got to be the shining EXAMPLE to the world THE Very next day! being the FIRST of many Major Financial Institutions to announce their impending collapse;

(afterthought: POETIC JUSTICE OR JUST A POOL OF MEDIA TALENT?)

Showing the world of just what can happen what can happen when a company decides to throw caution, money and Hot Air to the Wind and mix it with a Sea full of blind sharks should create a catastrophic Storm that will spin out of control, then suck the life right out of it leaving the small fish to suffocate, and the rest of us to drown in the small pond of tears that the big fish have cried since realizing they too are in over their heads and in need of a very quick BAILOUT! since the paranoas are always hungry for that next juicy meal.