It has been known for a long time that the climate has an effect on the health of the world’s population. Certain diseases and common health problems have been recognized to be climate-sensitive, such as malaria and meningitis. Outbreaks can be traced to certain dimensions of climate that make parasites and disease carrying mosquitoes more prevalent. Out of many, this is only one example of the connection between climate and health. Although the link between the two has been acknowledged, it was just recently compiled into a map like form by Margaret Chan of the World Health Organization and Michel Jarraud of the World Meteorological Organization in the “Atlas of Health and Climate.” This is a great resource for governments to use as a tool to help predict and better manage outbreaks of climate-sensitive diseases. This can be accomplished in various ways such as managing ecosystems and animal habitats in periods of drought, heavy rain fall or seasonal patterns. Benefits of this will be obvious in the environments themselves and in the overall health of the world’s population. With the knowledge that can be gained from the atlas, governments will be better prepared to handle the challenges of rising global climates. The compilation of this data could also be used in numerous ways that might not be apparent as of yet. The correlation may show trends of increasing or decreasing rates of fertility, mortality and poverty in certain areas during certain climatic conditions and help governments act accordingly in preparation or response. The atlas has great potential to help expose many aspects of health and diseases that are currently not understood or for those which very little is understood.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2012/10/29/un-atlas-climate-health/1665839/
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