Global Change & Diseases

Question 1

Challenges to understanding linkages between climate change and infectious diseases

Answer 1

• Absence of an appropriate comparison group
• Long time period over which human actions affect climate
• Large number of health outcomes potentially affected by climatic change
• Non-climatic influences on infectious disease dynamics can also interact with climate

Question 2

Which climate factors are changing?

Answer 2

• Seasonality
• Temperature
• Precipitation
• Hydrology

Question 3

How would seasonality change with climate?

Answer 3

More irregular timing and are more intense

Question 4

Many infectiouys diseases follow patterns in prevalence driven by ____ changes

Answer 4

Seasonal

Question 5

Potential reasons flu transmission increases in winter

Answer 5

• Low humidity
• Indoor air circulation (cam bring pathogens around)
• Reduced immunity and/or exposed mucous membranes
• Increase contact indoors

Question 6

Recent flu season has been ____ intense than before and the cases peak ____ than before.

Answer 6

Less; Earlier

Question 7

How the R0 of a seasonal disease change according to current climate status?

Answer 7

The R0 will have a higher transmission peak and can be impactful during a longer time frame.

Question 8

Climate change generally expected to increase temperatures, why does it correlate with an increase in R0 of infectious diseases?

Answer 8

Most infectious agents and arthropod vectors reproduce more rapidly at higher temperatures

Question 9

Why is the human population density higher in areas of greater altitude in Ethiopia?

Answer 9

The risk of malaria decreases with increasing altitude.
*1 degree celsius temp increase the shift line 150m up

Question 10

Climate change is expected to let precipitation be ____ frequent and ____ extreme

Answer 10

less; more

Question 11

Extreme precipitation can lead to public health crisis, such as…

Answer 11

Outbreaks of Cholera due to
- rainfall
- water source contamination
- poor sanitaiton
- lack of portable water

Question 12

Pools of water may support the reproduction of ____, and can thus increase ____ risk.

Answer 12

mosquitos (and other arthropods); disease

Question 13

Hydrology

Answer 13

Movement and distribution of water across a landscape

Question 14

In Chicago, areas where water is more likely to pool is related to ____ risk of ____.

Answer 14

Increased; West Nile Virus

Question 15

What is the primary functions of green infrastructure in a city?

Answer 15

• Retain rainwater (sustainable drainage)
• Greenery
• Mitigate heat island effect
• Carbon storage

Question 16

Consequences of climate change for public health concerns

Answer 16

Some diseases will increase in incidence and decrease in predictability

Question 17

Spatial Autocorrelation

Answer 17

The probability of encountering a pathogen or of transmission decreases as the distance from an infected host increases.
- Closer you are from an infeted host, the more likely you will be transmitted

Question 18

Two major anthropogenic changes to ecosystems that influence disease invasion, persistence and spread

Answer 18

• Habitat destruction
• Biological invasions

Question 19

Landscape structure (or configuration)

Answer 19

The specific arrangement of spatial elements in a landscape

Question 20

Connectivity

Answer 20

Spatial continuity of a habitat or cover type

Question 21

Patch

Answer 21

Surface area that differs from its surroundings in nature or apprearance

Question 22

Matrix

Answer 22

Background cover type in a landscape

Question 23

Lanscape change

Answer 23

Natural or human-mediated alterations to landscape structure

Question 24

What is the relationship between deforestation and malaria in the Amazon?

Answer 24

Deforestation of the Amazon caused enormous biodiversity loss.
Logging activities create many small aquatic habitats with direct sunlight exposure, an ideal breeding habitat for the mosquito to thrive in, resulting in the re-emergence of malaria.

Question 25

What is the relationship between percent forest cover in the Amazon versus biting rate of the mosquitos? (/6 hr/person)

Answer 25

• In areas with 0% - 20% forest cover, the biting rate reaches up to 6.5
• In areas with 20% to 60% forest cover, the biting rate is a bit less than 2
• In areas with 60% - 98% forest cover, the biting rate is close to 0.

Question 26

How does the risk of lyme disease correlate with land cover type?

Answer 26

Ticks are most prevalent in sub-urban areas, and the 2nd prevalent in urban areas. Rural areas are rarely affected.

Question 27

Which factors are related with increased risk of lyme disease?

Answer 27

• an intermediate forest cover that support white-tailed deers
• Invasive, bush honeysuckle that support white-tailed deers