Africa: the impact of global warming on the health risks of poor people

There is growing evidence of the impact of climate change on habitat and human health, plant and animal life, water resources and shorelines. . These changes are felt unevenly within and between nations and communities. This is due to differences in access to resources, infrastructure, social structure and government policies. Climate change is and will continue to be the hardest hit by the poorest populations of all populations, especially those living in poor, isolated and remote environments with few resources.

But extreme weather, famine and epidemics are not what people most often feel with climate change. On the contrary, the unprecedented temperature peaks in the world affect the conditions of everyday life in a subtle way. This is especially true for people with the least resources.

For example, people who live in poorly constructed houses and cabins, often without ventilation, and in old downtown housing, are at increased risk of health problems related to heat stress, which can be fatal. These include dehydration, heat stroke and asthma. In Africa, people living in cramped housing in informal settlements and those living in dilapidated inner-city housing are most at risk. And, where there is no easy access to clean water, their health is even more threatened.

The effect of global warming on disease and death is the most difficult to predict in terms of health problems and deaths. But researchers are beginning to identify the most important potential risks, especially for developing countries.

Developed economies are able to reduce environmental health risks by improving infrastructure, legal interventions and education. But the poorest people, with the least political power, remain vulnerable. Global warming simply adds to the health risks.

Risk areas

Some examples show how climate change can have a negative impact on the world's ability to manage diseases.

For example, in the absence of vaccines, infectious diseases such as malaria have been largely controlled through better environmental management. But this is complicated by changes in ambient temperature, temperature ranges, changes in precipitation, and water flow. All affect the geographic habitat and behavior of vectors, such as mosquitoes and snails. This makes it more difficult to treat infections such as malaria, dengue fever and schistosomiasis.

And changes in rainfall patterns and increased drought are likely to affect the water supply. The lack of water for domestic use and personal consumption affects hygiene and sanitation, contributing to the risk of waterborne diseases such as dysentery. Again, people who do not have easy access to running water and those who live in dilapidated and overcrowded housing are particularly vulnerable.

Changes in water supply can also affect commercial food production and subsistence. This in turn affects food security and food prices.

Additional factors

Social, economic and structural factors also determine health risks, exacerbating environmental exposures and risk factors for health and disease. This is especially true in Africa, where many of the top 10 causes of death are related, in one way or another, to the environment.

In 2016, most of the top ten causes of death in the World Health Organization were badociated with the physical, occupational and social environments. The way this happens is particularly clear if we look at South African statistics on the top 10 diseases that affect the country.

One of them is diabetes. The disease is closely linked to nutrition, food availability and affordability. This means that in most populations that have become dependent on purchased food, diabetes is tracking down poverty. A range of diseases are closely badociated with diabetes and share strong links to food and nutrition. These include cerebrovascular diseases, other forms of heart disease, hypertensive diseases and ischemic diseases, including stroke and heart attacks.

Influenza, pneumonia and tuberculosis are also in the top 10. These are infections that can be transmitted by air, with the risk of developing these diseases being higher among the very young, the elderly and those living with HIV or other diseases of the immune system. For its part, tuberculosis spreads in closed environments.

Chronic lower respiratory diseases include chronic bronchitis, emphysema and asthma and result from toxins, chronic infection and inflammation. Cigarette smoke is the main factor, but industrial pollution and work-related health risks contribute to this toll.

Many of these conditions are related to the environment in a very direct way. The water, sanitation, overcrowding and insufficient ventilation, as well as indoor and outdoor air pollution – resulting from cooking and heating, manufacturing and l & # 39; use of fossil fuels in transportation – contribute to the persistence of high rates of lower respiratory tract infections, diarrheal diseases and lung cancers.

The WHO is drawing attention to decreasing exposure to environmental health risks with increasing socio-economic development. But we can not wait for it to be solved without active measures being taken. Financial resources, research and development through collaborations with universities and businesses have been set aside to develop new affordable technologies to diagnose an illness and develop drugs to stop the disease. evolution of the disease.

Although these investments are continuing, much remains to be done. To reduce the number of deaths and diseases badociated with climate change, governments and communities must fight global warming.

Lenore Manderson, University of the Witwatersrand