Climate change reverses medical progress

Climate change is reversing medical progress, posing a great threat to human health, experts say.

Humanity has made many great strides in medicine, with researchers continuously finding new vaccines and treatments at a rapid pace. However, climate change is also causing dual climate and medical crises, threatening the health of people on Earth.

In particular, with increasing heat and humidity levels, many diseases that are being well controlled are at risk of breaking out again, such as malaria or zika transmitted by mosquitoes.

Reversing medical progress

Besides the risk of outbreaks of mosquito-borne infectious diseases, the real impact of climate change on public health is much greater.

In particular, heat waves cause temperatures to rise higher than humans can endure , causing forest fires, increasing extreme weather phenomena and water shortages. Worth mentioning, these impacts are recorded in every region, from Qatar, to Canada, the US or Malawi.

According to a 2023 study, from 2010 to 2019, about 2 billion people on Earth were exposed to air polluted by fires, reversing gains in efforts to fight respiratory diseases. In the US, researchers concluded that smoke from wildfires wiped out nearly a quarter of the progress made by the 1970 Clean Air Act.

Floods cause more cholera outbreaks. (Photo: UN).

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that floods are causing cholera to break out at an "unprecedented" rate . In Pakistan, a historic flood inundated 1/3 of the country in 2023. However, just a few months after the flood, the country recorded 987 cases of cholera. The actual number is likely even higher because only about 2% of the 1.4 million cases with diarrhea symptoms were tested.

From these numbers, experts sound the alarm that climate change is the biggest threat to human welfare and health.

"Everything from air pollution to the increase in extreme weather to long-term changes in climate is harming human health," said Neil Buddy Shah, head of the Global Marketing Initiative. Health Access Clinton shared.

New challenges appear

A warming world is also giving rise to new diseases and modes of transmission , as well as many other health threats. In particular, heat waves are causing death rates due to heatstroke to increase. In 2023, Europe will record at least 61,000 deaths due to summer heat.

The effects of heat also vary by region . Among them, many communities have to migrate due to the effects of extreme weather. They are the most vulnerable communities and suffer the greatest impact, both economically and health-wise, from heat waves.

According to the New York Times , about 8% of malaria cases are among refugees, people who are not guaranteed living conditions, shelter, clean hygiene services and access to food sources. quality water.

Drought causes many health threats to humans. (Photo: News18).

Under the impact of drought or flood, people often migrate to other areas, concentrating their activities around smaller water sources. This is one of the reasons why water sources are easily polluted and polluted at a faster rate, from which water sources become a source of infection of all kinds of diseases.

Scientists believe that environmental pollution also contributes to the spread of other diseases to humans , such as Ebola or COVID-19. According to Larry Brilliant, an American epidemiologist who helped prevent smallpox, deforestation brings humans into closer contact with wild animals carrying pathogens or viruses.

The world needs to join hands

As the impacts become increasingly evident, the world is also becoming more and more concerned about climate change. Health experts say this is a positive sign for efforts to fight the climate crisis.

However, WHO said that among climate finance sources, funding for efforts to combat climate change is only about 5% for health efforts.

"A problem is that we declare victory too early with achievements in the health sector. This causes funding sources for the health sector to be cut ," Mr. Buddy Shah warned.

Experts expect people to pay more attention to the health aspects of this crisis. The 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), taking place in Dubai (UAE) in December 2023, included Health Day on the agenda for the first time, contributing to promoting community responsibility and joining hands to solve health challenges caused by climate change.

COP28 in Dubai achieved many positive results, including the inclusion of Health Day on the agenda. (Photo: COP28).

At the event, the parties adopted the COP28 Declaration on climate and health, with the support of more than 120 countries and territories. The declaration calls for a comprehensive approach to addressing the health challenges posed by climate change.

One of the notable goals set out by the COP28 Declaration on climate and health is to combat inequality within and between countries, and pursue policies aimed at accelerating the achievement of these goals. Sustainable development goals, including goal 3 on health and a good life; poverty reduction; improve health and livelihoods; strengthen social protection systems, food security and improved nutrition, access to clean energy sources, safe drinking water and sanitation for all; and strive to achieve universal health coverage.

The COP28 declaration on climate and health is the first major "victory" in efforts to increase global attention on the dual crises of climate change. Thereby, the world will need to continue to raise awareness and pay more attention to these issues to ensure the welfare and healthy development of all humanity.