Week 9: Diseases

Week 9: Diseases

1. Waterborne Diseases

   • Causes more human health problems than other types of water pollution
     • Contaminated by inadequately treated human waste, animal waste, landfill runoff
   • Cholera
     • Pathogens originate in fecal material, transmitted by ingestion
     • Toxin emitted bacterial - risk affected by salinity, pH, etc.
     • Acute diarrheal infection - 1.3-1.4 million cases

2. Climate and Waterborne Diseases

   • Increase in temperature linked to increase in diarrheal diseases
   • Climate change increases frequency and severity of Cholera outbreaks

3. Vector Borne Diseases

   • Pathogen (an agent) + vector (a host) + transmisison environment
     • EIP (Extrinsic incubation period) - how long a pathogen takes to be communicable
     • Biological Vector: transports a pathogen + important for pathogen life cycle
     • Mechanical Vector: an organism which only transports a pathogen (fly)
   • Malaria
     • A disease caused by mosquitoes implanting parasites in the blood
     • Increase temperature = increase life cycle, range and malaria cases
   • Dengue Fever
     • Virus from mosquitos, most rapidly spreading viral disease globally
     • Vulnerability + higher populations = increase in longer seasons due to climate change
   • Lyme Disease
     • Bacterium spread by black legged ticks - mammals or birds as hosts
     • Northward migration due to warming climates
   • Schistosomiasis
     • Parasite in fresh water snails
     • Land use change increases
   • Valley Fever
     • Fungal disease in soil
     • Spreading with hotter, drier climate

4. Climate and Vector Borne Disease

   • Change = increase vectors, EIP and living conditions
   • Increase in vulnerability from changing weather and populations

5. Solutions

   • Improve access to clean water
   • Develop vaccines
   • Protect water and sanitation systems