Climate warming linked to illness

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Washington Post

Climate warming linked to illness
Water diseases expected to rise
By Kari Lydersen
Washington Post / October 21, 2008

WASHINGTON - When a 1991 cholera outbreak that killed thousands in Peru was traced to plankton blooms fueled by warmer-than-usual coastal waters, linking epidemics to climate change was a new idea

Now, scientists say, it is a near-certainty that global warming will drive significant increases in waterborne diseases around the world.

Rainfalls will be heavier, triggering sewage overflows, contaminating drinking water and endangering beachgoers. Higher lake and ocean temperatures will cause bacteria, parasites, and algal blooms to flourish. Warmer weather and heavier rains also will mean more mosquitoes, which can carry West Nile virus, malaria, and dengue fever. Fresh produce and shellfish are more likely to become contaminated.

Heavier rainfalls are one of the most agreed-upon effects of climate change. The frequency of intense rainfalls has increased notably in the Midwest, the Northeast, and Alaska, and the trend will accelerate, said the 2007 report of the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.



Read more: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2008/10/21/climate_warming_linked_to_illness/

[truthisfreedom]

1. Ouch! Why did the Midwest have to be affected by this? I'm so sick of mosquitos!

Dammit!

[silverojo]

2. Not to mention the freakin' spiders!

In all my life, I've never seen this much rain in one year here in the Heartland. Yet these idiots continue to drive their gas-sucking SUV's with the A/C on (even if it's only 85 degrees out!), and continue to vote Repuke.