Vibrios, cholera and climate change Flashcards
Different microbes have different optimum
Temperatures for growth
Pathogens on and in us have an optimum temperature
Near ours, 37 degrees
Changing climates can select for
Pathogens that live at higher temperatures
Dangerous pathogens in the oceans can live on
Algae
Climate change can cause
Algal blooms
Algal blooms can be food (substrates) for
Pathogenic bacteria
Causes bacterial proliferation
Climate change can vary algal growth
- Diurnally
- Seasonally
- Binanually
- Longer term globally
The current cholera pandemic (7th) has been ongoing since
1961
World’s longest running pandemic
Cholera affects how many people annually?
2.9m
Endemic in more than
47 countries
In Africa more than
40m people live in cholera hot spots
Factors that drive outbreaks:
- Climate change
- Forced migration
- Prolonged conflict
- Urbanization
- Population growth
- Poor access to health services
Fundamentally, cholera is a result of a lack of
Adequate water and sanitation
More than 2 billion drink from
Water sources contaminated with faeces
Cholera is a disease requiring
Notification of the WHO
Cases of cholera are published in the
Weekly epidemiological record
Actual cases are much higher than recorded cases