Diseases on rise due to climate change
Monday, 16 November 2009
FE Report
The country is experiencing a surge in weather sensitive diseases due to rapidly changing global climate, threatening low-earning communities in disaster prone areas, a study revealed.
The study, conducted to determine the effect of climate change on human health has revealed that climate change sensitive diseases have been growing during the last decade in the weather vulnerable areas in coastal and drought prone north-western districts.
"Propelled by rapidly changing climatic factors like variation in annual drought, flood, rainfall and maximum-minimum temperature, we have found the incidence of diseases on notable surge," Mezbanur Rahman, research officer of CDMP told the FE.
The Climate Change Cell (CCC) in collaboration of Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP) has conducted the study under the supervision of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Department of Environment of Bangladesh, focusing on the country's three most climate change vulnerable districts -Rajshahi, Satkhira and Manikganj.
"These three districts suffer the most from the three major climate change; flood, drought and salinity," Mr Rahman said.
The CCC study on drought and flood prone Rajshahi district showed positive correlations between the incidence of diarrhoea and total annual rainfall (both in monsoon and dry season). It means, incidence of diarrhoea increases with increasing annual rainfall.
On the other hand, the study further identified that incidence of skin diseases were positively correlated with annual temperature fluctuations.
In the case of Satkhira, the district experiencing the brunt of climatic change in Bangladesh, the study found positive correlation between annual total rainfall and diarrhoea incidence.
The study result also left no doubt that the country is fast approaching towards massive general health hazards, he said adding that low-income communities in the disaster prone areas are likely to be the most affected by this.
The country is experiencing a surge in weather sensitive diseases due to rapidly changing global climate, threatening low-earning communities in disaster prone areas, a study revealed.
The study, conducted to determine the effect of climate change on human health has revealed that climate change sensitive diseases have been growing during the last decade in the weather vulnerable areas in coastal and drought prone north-western districts.
"Propelled by rapidly changing climatic factors like variation in annual drought, flood, rainfall and maximum-minimum temperature, we have found the incidence of diseases on notable surge," Mezbanur Rahman, research officer of CDMP told the FE.
The Climate Change Cell (CCC) in collaboration of Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP) has conducted the study under the supervision of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Department of Environment of Bangladesh, focusing on the country's three most climate change vulnerable districts -Rajshahi, Satkhira and Manikganj.
"These three districts suffer the most from the three major climate change; flood, drought and salinity," Mr Rahman said.
The CCC study on drought and flood prone Rajshahi district showed positive correlations between the incidence of diarrhoea and total annual rainfall (both in monsoon and dry season). It means, incidence of diarrhoea increases with increasing annual rainfall.
On the other hand, the study further identified that incidence of skin diseases were positively correlated with annual temperature fluctuations.
In the case of Satkhira, the district experiencing the brunt of climatic change in Bangladesh, the study found positive correlation between annual total rainfall and diarrhoea incidence.
The study result also left no doubt that the country is fast approaching towards massive general health hazards, he said adding that low-income communities in the disaster prone areas are likely to be the most affected by this.