
Climate change increasing risk of new emerging viruses, infectious diseases in India
The Hindu
Changing climatic conditions, particularly temperature and moisture variations will lead to a surge in the spread of vector-borne and infectious diseases across India
Changing climatic conditions, particularly temperature and moisture variations following events such as extreme rainfall in some places and drought in others, will lead to a surge in the spread of vector-borne and infectious diseases across India, say scientists.
As concerns mount over the recent increase in respiratory viral infections, including H2N3, adenoviruses and swine flu, in many parts of India, the scientists said it might be too early to attribute it to climate change. But is definitely plausible.
The prospect of climate change leading to an increased burden with the spread of diseases such as dengue, chikungunya and malaria looms large.
According to public health expert Poornima Prabhakaran, steadily rising temperatures affect the pattern of transmission of disease agents like viruses as well their vectors through a number of pathways.
“These include changes in the incubation period, the transmission potential and the duration of transmission - all of which can impact the trends of diseases," Prabhakaran, director, Centre for Environmental Health at Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), told PTI.
The incubation period is the time between exposure to a pathogenic organism and when symptoms and signs are first apparent.
Changing climatic conditions, Prabhakaran noted, also become more favourable for the spread and disease transmission potential of viruses and their vectors.

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