Will Global Warming bring about new threats and diseases?

[StormRider]

Recently I've been hearing about a brain-eating amoeba that has killed several people in the US. They think it's because of the warmer weather which causes the amoeba to be more active.

Now I just heard about a weird fungus that has killed several people in Canada and the US (Washington State). Is it because of warmer temperatures? Normally it would be cooler so the fungus would be inactive or killed off but now that its warmer it's starting to spread?

 

[Deeko]

ask al gore

 

[Throckmorton]

Yes, diseases are already shifting their ranges northward.

 

[Queasy]

Cold weather causes hundreds of thousands of deaths every year across the globe. 25,000 in England in the winter of 2005/2006 for example. Deaths related to heat are much less numerous worldwide. I'd guess that it would be break even at worse.

 

[Bateluer]

Supposedly microbes taken into space come back stronger and more aggressive. I saw the link for the article at FS, but didn't have the paid subscription to the news site they linked to so couldn't read the entire article. Though I never tried google or any other method of follow up, perhaps I should.

 

[NanoStuff]

Probably, but you still should be more concerned about the thread of driving your car rather than being eaten by amoeba.

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: Queasy
Cold weather causes hundreds of thousands of deaths every year across the globe. 25,000 in England in the winter of 2005/2006 for example. Deaths related to heat are much less numerous worldwide. I'd guess that it would be break even at worse.

Happens to the wealthier.

 

[InflatableBuddha]

Originally posted by: StormRider
Recently I've been hearing about a brain-eating amoeba that has killed several people in the US. They think it's because of the warmer weather which causes the amoeba to be more active.

Now I just heard about a weird fungus that has killed several people in Canada and the US (Washington State). Is it because of warmer temperatures? Normally it would be cooler so the fungus would be inactive or killed off but now that its warmer it's starting to spread?

The fungus is called cryptococcus gatti, and it originated on Vancouver Island in 1999 (source)

Apparently, it's spread by koalas, but birds and salt water may also be carriers. (source)

?We?re going to see more unusual infectious diseases because of climate change, increased mobility and other factors,? says Bartlett, who is the recipient of a 2003 Scholar Award from the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research. ?We need to take the environment seriously, allocate resources and make changes to keep the next generation safe.?

Yep...climate change is a factor. So is increased air travel - remember the scares over SARS and foot-and-mouth disease and all the precautions taken at international airports to try to prevent transmission across continents?

 

[zinfamous]

yes, of course it will. Imagine massive migrations, populations encountering others they hadn't lived with before.

Microbes will adapt much faster to changing climate than we will.

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: Queasy
Cold weather causes hundreds of thousands of deaths every year across the globe. 25,000 in England in the winter of 2005/2006 for example. Deaths related to heat are much less numerous worldwide. I'd guess that it would be break even at worse.

Global Warming != 90 degree weather in Antarctica.
Global warming = weather patterns unlike those we are familiar with.

Some life forms will enjoy the changes, others won't, simple as that.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: InflatableBuddha

Yep...climate change is a factor. So is increased air travel - remember the scares over SARS and foot-and-mouth disease and all the precautions taken at international airports to try to prevent transmission across continents?

SARS is ridiculous. millions of people die from tuberculosis. 10 people died from SARS after boinking chickens.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: Jeff7

Originally posted by: Queasy
Cold weather causes hundreds of thousands of deaths every year across the globe. 25,000 in England in the winter of 2005/2006 for example. Deaths related to heat are much less numerous worldwide. I'd guess that it would be break even at worse.

Global Warming != 90 degree weather in Antarctica.
Global warming = weather patterns unlike those we are familiar with.

Some life forms will enjoy the changes, others won't, simple as that.

Where did I mention Antarctica?

And I actually agree with you that a change in weather patterns will result in some benefits and some negatives. Which is why I said it would probably be about break even at worse. Some threats will diminish/disappear while others will rise.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: InflatableBuddha

Yep...climate change is a factor. So is increased air travel - remember the scares over SARS and foot-and-mouth disease and all the precautions taken at international airports to try to prevent transmission across continents?

SARS is ridiculous. millions of people die from tuberculosis. 10 people died from SARS after boinking chickens.

But but but....they made a movie about it and everything!

 

[InflatableBuddha]

Originally posted by: Queasy

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: InflatableBuddha

Yep...climate change is a factor. So is increased air travel - remember the scares over SARS and foot-and-mouth disease and all the precautions taken at international airports to try to prevent transmission across continents?

SARS is ridiculous. millions of people die from tuberculosis. 10 people died from SARS after boinking chickens.

But but but....they made a movie about it and everything!

If you watch movies about boinking chickens, watch them in the privacy of your own home, k?

 

[InflatableBuddha]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: InflatableBuddha

Yep...climate change is a factor. So is increased air travel - remember the scares over SARS and foot-and-mouth disease and all the precautions taken at international airports to try to prevent transmission across continents?

SARS is ridiculous. millions of people die from tuberculosis. 10 people died from SARS after boinking chickens.

Admittedly not the best example, but respiratory or other infectious diseases can easily spread by air travel.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: InflatableBuddha

Originally posted by: Queasy

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: InflatableBuddha

Yep...climate change is a factor. So is increased air travel - remember the scares over SARS and foot-and-mouth disease and all the precautions taken at international airports to try to prevent transmission across continents?

SARS is ridiculous. millions of people die from tuberculosis. 10 people died from SARS after boinking chickens.

But but but....they made a movie about it and everything!

If you watch movies about boinking chickens, watch them in the privacy of your own home, k?

I was actually referring to the made-for-TV schlock-fest Bird Flu.

 

[manowar821]

Even with the slight variances from year to year, diseases will change "territories" and gain or loose strength. With a consistent slight increase in temperatures over the next few decades, it's undeniable that diseases will change or more will pop up. Now, you don't exactly need to worry about any kind of pandemic or epidemic, the chances of that happening is always pretty low. I also doubt that the medical community is blind to this fact, and they're probably keeping a closer eye on the possibility of new diseases popping up.

I'm not going to worry too much about naturally occurring diseases due to global warming, to be short.

 

[StormRider]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: InflatableBuddha

Yep...climate change is a factor. So is increased air travel - remember the scares over SARS and foot-and-mouth disease and all the precautions taken at international airports to try to prevent transmission across continents?

SARS is ridiculous. millions of people die from tuberculosis. 10 people died from SARS after boinking chickens.

Actually, I don't think SARS was ridiculous. SARS was scary and I think the reason it only killed 10 people was because we took it seriously and managed to nip it in the bud before it could become a bigger threat.