2024-03-16 03:35:38
Climate change has been plaguing humanity for decades now. A phenomenon whose main culprit is humans, but which in addition to negatively impacting the flora and fauna of our planet, also generates a negative impact on our health and well-being.
Storms, droughts and floods are considered direct effects of climate change, and today these same events can cause health problems such as allergies, respiratory, cardiovascular or infectious diseases, as well as malnutrition, among various others.
Environmental pollution and cardiovascular and respiratory diseases
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution causes 24% of adult deaths from heart disease, 25% of deaths from stroke, 43% of deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and 29% of deaths from lung cancer.
“The air we breathe is highly contaminated by various types of gases produced by humans, such as carbon dioxide and monoxide, hydrocarbons, among others. These gases, as well as other polluting agents, when entering through the respiratory tract, are highly harmful to our health, and are considered the main causes of heart disease,” explained Dr. María Teresa Valenzuela, dean of the Faculty of Health Care Sciences. USS Health.
Along these same lines, it is explained that droughts worsen air quality and this type of pollution is directly linked to the development of respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It is estimated that for 1°C increase in temperature the mortality rate in the world can increase between 2% and 5%.
Reemerging tropical diseases
According to Ignacio Neumann, epidemiologist and researcher at the USS, dengue is considered a re-emerging infectious disease in the region, and one of its causes is climate change.
“Climate change, in addition to tourism, is one of the main causes of the appearance of tropical diseases that do not usually occur in Chile, since today the ideal climatic conditions exist for their spread. An example of this is dengue, there is currently an outbreak that is affecting Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, quite important, which is why it is relevant that our country is prepared for an eventual increase in cases, through adequate epidemiological surveillance. , and the early application of prevention measures,” Neumann explained.
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