Global warming will increase the development of certain pathogens dangerous to health. Among them, a bacteria which causes severe diarrhea. This is just one example of the impact of climate change on the health system.
This is bad news above all others. Climate change will have a number of devastating impacts on ecosystems, living beings and society. Health is one of the issues. While some animals will struggle to overcome warming and risk becoming extinct, there are some organisms that, on the contrary, will thrive in a warmer climate. Among them, infectious pathogens.
And among these pathogens, there is a bacteria: C. jejuni. It triggers an infection: campylobacteriosis, which causes violent diarrhea (as well as fever and cramps). A study published on January 18, 2024 shows that this bacteria could be favored by global warming.
“A huge societal impact”
This work was able to identify a link between weather conditions and the risks associated with this disease. To do this, the authors studied British data, i.e. one million cases of campylobacteriosis infection in 20 years, by comparing them to the country’s weather data.
The number of cases remained stable below 8 degrees Celsius average temperature. Beyond that, the incidence rate of the disease increased significantly in increments of 5 degrees (the more 5 degrees we add, the more the rate increases). A link with humidity has also been identified when this is between 75 and 80%, as well as with the length of the days: more than 10 hours of sunlight increases the presence of the disease.
How can we explain this connection between hot weather and the spread of this bacteria? “ It may be that hot weather increases the survival and spread of disease-causing bacteria (so the weather causes illness) or it may be the way people behave and socialize during these times. », Estimates Giovanni Lo Iacono, one of the authors.
The “why” therefore still needs to be studied. But this study remains very valuable: a disease like campylobacteriosis “ does not only cause inconvenience for individuals “, remind the authors, “ it also has a huge societal impact, with people having to call in sick to work, increasing pressure on health services around the world. »
This study is yet another alert on the problematic effects of climate change on health — “ by promoting the spread of infectious diseases “. This severe diarrhea is added to ticks which could become more dangerous, but also, of course, to the impact of the heat, which is already causing excess deaths.
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