9 October 2008
12 Infectious Diseases
Predicted to Spread ("Emerge") due to Climate Change
On October 7th the Wildlife
Conservation Society (WCS) posted a report listing a dozen infectious diseases
of wildlife and humans that can be predicted to spread ("emerge")
beyond their current geographical locations due to climate change. The
homepage of the WCS contains a link to this list of diseases termed
"The Dirty Dozen", and a color brochure summarizing these 12
diseases of both wildlife and humans (www.wcs.org). In alphabetical order, these 12 diseases are:
Avian Influenza: a group
of viruses including H5N1, H7N7, H9N2, others.
Babesiosis: a
parasite transmitted by certain species of ticks
Cholera: a bacterial
disease spread via water
Ebola: a
viral infection of gorillas, chimps, humans, (and perhaps bats)
Intestinal and external parasites: Many
zoonotic (animal-human) species
Lyme Disease: a
bacterial disease spread by ticks
Plague: a
bacterial disease spread by rodent fleas ("bubonic" form)
"Red tides":
Coastal algal bloom toxins/freshwater Cyanobacteria
Rift Valley Fever (RVF): a
viral disease spread by certain mosquitoes
Sleeping sickness: a
parasite (trypansomes) spread by tsetse flies
Tuberculosis: a
bacterial disease spread via air, or unpasteurized milk
Yellow Fever: a viral
disease spread by certain species of mosquitoes
This report from the WCS was
released in
Such initiatives are valuable
guideposts for potential near-term and long-term interventions in
both the developing and the developed world. Increasingly in 2008 the
global implications of infectious diseases, climate change, and financial
markets are being better appreciated, and solutions proposed to current and
future (predictable) problems.
Daniel R. Lucey, MD, MPH
EROne Institutes,
Adjunct Professor of Microbiology
and Immunology
website for this posting: www.BePast.org
e-mail:DRL23@Georgetown.edu
CONFIDENTIAL:
The information contained in this communication, in
9 October 2008
12
Infectious Diseases Predicted to Spread ("Emerge") due to Climate
Change
On October 7th the Wildlife
Conservation Society (WCS) posted a report listing a dozen infectious diseases
of wildlife and humans that can be predicted to
spread ("emerge") beyond their current geographical locations
due to climate change. The homepage of the WCS contains a link to this
list of diseases termed "The Dirty Dozen", and a color brochure
summarizing these 12 diseases of both wildlife and humans (www.wcs.org). In alphabetical
order, these 12 diseases are:
Avian Influenza: a group
of viruses including H5N1, H7N7, H9N2, others.
Babesiosis: a
parasite transmitted by certain species of ticks
Cholera: a
bacterial disease spread via water
Ebola: a
viral infection of gorillas, chimps, humans, (and perhaps bats)
Intestinal and external parasites: Many
zoonotic (animal-human) species
Lyme Disease: a
bacterial disease spread by ticks
Plague: a
bacterial disease spread by rodent fleas ("bubonic" form)
"Red tides":
Coastal algal bloom toxins/freshwater Cyanobacteria
Rift Valley Fever (RVF): a
viral disease spread by certain mosquitoes
Sleeping sickness: a parasite
(trypansomes) spread by tsetse flies
Tuberculosis: a
bacterial disease spread via air, or unpasteurized milk
Yellow Fever: a viral
disease spread by certain species of mosquitoes
This report from the WCS was
released in
Such initiatives are valuable
guideposts for potential near-term and long-term interventions in
both the developing and the developed world. Increasingly in 2008 the
global implications of infectious diseases, climate change, and financial
markets are being better appreciated, and solutions proposed to current and
future (predictable) problems.
Daniel R. Lucey, MD, MPH
EROne Institutes,
Adjunct Professor of Microbiology
and Immunology
website for this posting: www.BePast.org
e-mail:DRL23@Georgetown.edu