environmental change and effects on health: climate change Flashcards
What are the primary negative effects of climate change on health?
The projected primary negative effects of climate change on health include thermal stress (heat exhaustion and hyperthermia) and the spread of vector-borne diseases.
How does thermal stress affect health, and who is most at risk?
Thermal stress, caused by rising global temperatures, increases the risk of heat stroke and other forms of hyperthermia, which can be fatal. The elderly and individuals in high-temperature environments (such as military training) are especially at risk.
What is the impact of climate change on vector-borne diseases?
Climate change alters weather patterns and increases extreme weather events, leading to a wider distribution of vector-borne diseases. The seasons in which these diseases are a risk have also lengthened.
What is Lyme disease, and how is it affected by climate change?
Lyme disease is a tick-borne disease that is influenced by climate change. Warmer temperatures have caused ticks to become more active for longer periods, expanding the areas where Lyme disease can spread, particularly in North East USA.
How does climate change expand the risk of Lyme disease?
Larger areas at risk due to changes in temperature and humidity, which support tick breeding.
Ticks become active earlier in the year and remain active for longer due to warmer temperatures.
Warmer winters prevent ticks from hibernating, allowing them to be active year-round.
Warmer temperatures increase the survival rates of hosts like mice, leading to a larger tick population.
What is the projected impact of heatwaves on mortality in Australia over the next 40 years?
The number of deaths caused by heatwaves in Australia is projected to double in the next 40 years due to climate change.
