Change Your World Week Winter 2022 (Archived)

The Earth has been experiencing long term changes in temperature, rainfall patterns, air quality, climatic extremes, and rising sea levels over the course of the last century. These extreme changes have become known as climate change. Climate change is known to be caused by the increased emission of greenhouse gases, which are released by the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and gasoline. Greenhouse gases act as a blanket on Earth's surface, which ends up trapping heat from the Sun and causes an increase in temperature on Earth. 

But why do we need to care about climate change?

The increase in overall temperature on Earth increases the spread and longevity of vector-borne diseases.

A disease that is spread by living organisms, such as fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes is known as a vector-borne disease. Vector-borne diseases are responsible for more than 17% of all infectious diseases and account for around 700,000 deaths annually. Commonly known vector-borne diseases are the plague which is spread by fleas, malaria which is spread by mosquitoes, and Lyme disease which is spread by ticks. 

Vector-borne diseases prefer moderate to warm climates. In the past, we saw vector-borne diseases primarily in areas close to the equator. As climate change increases the surface temperature of Earth, vectors have a chance to spread to areas they originally wouldn't be found and will stay longer in the areas that were already prevalent for carrying these organisms due to temperatures staying warmer for longer. 

Vector-borne diseases cause many different side effects long after the disease has ran its course in its host. The United States had an outbreak in Zika virus in 2015 and 2016. When a person is infected with Zika virus they carry symptoms such as fever, rash, headache, joint pain, red eyes, and muscle pain. The infected host is usually infected for a few days to a week. The disease itself isn't likely to kill its host, however if the infected person is pregnant, the disease can spread to the fetus and cause birth defects. Microcephaly, an abnormally small head, is a common birth defect cause by Zika virus. This causes the fetus to be born with a brain that has not developed properly. Other problems may occur in fetuses infected with Zika, such as miscarriage, stillbirth, and there is an increase in Guillain-Barre Syndrome in the areas where Zika virus is common. 

The most common vector-borne disease in the United States is Lyme disease. Symptoms of Lyme disease are headache, fever, fatigue, and a rash known as erythema migrans. If Lyme disease goes untreated, this disease can spread to the joints, heart, and nervous system which could eventually lead to death. Lyme disease was a disease known for effecting the eastern side of the country and parts of the Midwest. However, as climate change increases temperature the area the disease covers increases as well. There has been an overall increase in Lyme disease diagnosis in Michigan since the beginning of millennium.

While there is no denying that increased temperatures increase the rate of vector-borne disease transmission, there are people don't share the same beliefs about climate change. There is belief that the need for fossil fuels is greater than the effects that climate change has on the Earth. Other arguments state that this climate change is a natural phenomenon. Another belief is that climate change is many things wrapped into this term and not just one big thing defining the term. 

There are many things that we can do to help stop the spread of vector-borne diseases! In our immediate lives, we need to wear protective clothing and use insect repellent when we go outside.

Supporting companies that have pledged to reduce their carbon footprint is a great start to prevent climate change from worsening, thereby reducing the transmission of vector-borne diseases.

• Coca-Cola has plans to reduce their carbon footprint by 25% by 2025
• United airlines has invested over $16 billion to replace their old aircrafts with newer, more fuel efficient models
• S.C. Johnson replaced almost all of their coal power with natural gas and has cut millions of pounds of waste from the manufacturing of its products

This is just a small fraction of companies that have pledged to go green!

Below is a link to petition the education of Lyme disease to physicians, improve testing, increase funding, and cover chronic Lyme disease under insurance.

https://chng.it/zWQwGP6sv6

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Caminade, C., McIntyre, K. M., & Jones, A. E. (2018, August 18). Impact of Recent and Future Climate Change on Vector-Borne Diseases. Retrieved from Annals of The New York Academy of Sciences: https://nyaspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nyas.13950

Campbell-Lendrum, D., Manga, L., Bagayoko, M., & Sommerfeld, J. (2015, April 5). Climate change and vector-borne diseases: what are the implications for public health research and policy? Retrieved from The Royal Society: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rstb.2013.0552

Carroll, C. J., Griffin-Nolan, R. J., Slette, I. J., Chaves, F. A., Baur, L. E., Felton, A. J., . . . Smith, M. D. (2018, July 28). A reality check for climate change experiments: Do they reflect the real world? Retrieved from ESA Journals: https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ecy.2474

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Esbjorn-Hargens, S. (2010). An Ontology of Climate Change. Retrieved from http://integral-life-home.s3.amazonaws.com/Hargens-OntologyOfClimateChange.pdf

Ogden, N. H. (2017, September 7). Climate change and vector-borne diseases of public health significance. Retrieved from Oxford Academic: https://academic.oup.com/femsle/article/364/19/fnx186/4107775?login=true

Vector-borne Diseases. (2020, March 2). Retrieved from World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/vector-borne-diseases

Beard, C. B., & Eisen, R. J. (n.d.). Climate and Health Assessment. Retrieved from Global Change: https://health2016.globalchange.gov/vectorborne-diseases

Climate Action. (n.d.). Retrieved from United Nations: https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/what-is-climate-change

Is Human Activity Primarily Responsible for Global Climate Change? (2020, April 1). Retrieved from Britannica ProCon: https://climatechange.procon.org/

Swarthout, A., & Pressler, M. (2020). Microbiology Theory and Application Third Edition. Kendall Hunt.

Vector-borne Diseases. (2020, March 2). Retrieved from World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/vector-borne-diseases

Morgan, B. (2019, August 26). 101 Companies Committed to Reducing Their Carbon Footprint. Retrieved from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/blakemorgan/2019/08/26/101-companies-committed-to-reducing-their-carbon-footprint/?sh=6be72009260b