Wildlife gives early warning of 'deadly dozen' diseases spread by climate change

Wildlife gives early warning of 'deadly dozen' diseases spread by climate change

www.timesonline.co.uk

Scientists have nicknamed them the “deadly dozen”: 12 diseases, lethal to humans and wildlife, that are increasing their geographical range.

Ebola, cholera, plague and sleeping sickness were among those identified yesterday by veterinary scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) as spreading across the planet because of climate change. The scientists said that wildlife could give an early warning of the approach of diseases and save millions of people.

Researchers called for wildlife monitoring systems to be set up around the globe to watch for signs of disease among animals before it spreads and kills people. Monitoring networks have already been introduced in parts of the world and have proved successful in saving lives.

William Karesh, of the WCS, told the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) conference in Barcelona that there was increasing concern about the impact that climate change would have on the spread of disease. Changes in rainfall patterns and temperatures were known to have an effect, though the reason was not always clear, he said at the launch of the report, The Deadly Dozen.

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To paraphrase T.S. Eliot... "this is the way the world shall end... not with a bang but a nasty cough."

Just doesn't sound the same does it?

Oh well. The thing is as the planet warms ecosystems move... the tree line advances into the arctic a little further each year and as it advances so does the tropical belt and along with it comes the diseases that find hot and humid climates so inviting.

Its not good but I am glad to see that scientists are aware of the problem and are looking for ways to track it...

... I really want to die at 80 from a gunshot wound by an irate husband... not some nasty tropical disease.

www.timesonline.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)


[edit on 8-10-2008 by grover]

I would point out that there is "hope" - if one can call it that. The sun has had no spots for a while now, and the last time that was observed (called the Maunder Minimum) we had the mini-ice age.

So things just may be cooling off (in fact, it has been quite cold where I am this last summer and now fall...).

So...

This may be a non-issue for the moment.