Martin Lloyd Sanders always strives to create opportunities for more people to become aware of concerns relating to public health. One of the most pressing realities of the world today is climate change, and indeed, this has numerous implications on the health of the general public. Here are a few challenges that we are dealing with today.
1. Increased incidence of extreme weather events
Climate change will almost certainly increase the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, such as floods, droughts, hurricanes, and wildfires. Such events can seriously affect public health by damaging infrastructure, displacing people, exposing populations to harmful chemicals, and disrupting essential services such as healthcare, transportation, and food and water supplies, shares Martin Lloyd Sanders.
2. Heat-related disorders
As ambient temperatures increase due to climate change, the number of people at risk for heat-related disorders is also projected to rise. Heatstroke, heat exhaustion, and other conditions can cause severe illness or even death.
3. Vector-borne diseases
The distribution of vectors that transmit diseases, such as mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas, is often determined by climatic factors, especially temperature and humidity. Because the earth's climate is changing, we can expect that vector-borne diseases will become more prevalent in many regions.
4. Food insecurity
Climate change poses a serious threat to global food security. It may lead to declines in crop yields and significant changes in the distribution of food crops and livestock. This could result in increased food prices and food shortages, which would impact public health by causing malnutrition and starvation.
Captain Martin Lloyd Sanders, Ph.D., CSP, educates his loyal readers with public health and safety concerns that directly affect their daily lives. For more news and updates, please visit this page.
Disclaimer: This site was prepared by Martin L. Sanders in his personal capacity. The opinions expressed are the author's own and do not reflect the views of the USPHS, the Department of Health and Human Services, or the United States government.