What’s the news?

• The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), released in March, serves as a stark reminder of the escalating global risk posed by infectious diseases.

Central idea

• The intricate relationship between climate and disease becomes more evident with each passing year. Recent analysis in Nature Climate Change (2022) warns that humans now face a wider array of infectious agents than ever before. More than half of all known infectious diseases affecting humans worsen due to shifting climate patterns.

The Impact of Climate Change on Infections

• Habitat Loss and Human-Animal Interaction:

• Climate change contributes to habitat loss, pushing disease-carrying animals into closer proximity to human territories.
• This increased interaction between humans and wildlife raises the risk of disease transmission from animals to humans.
• For example, the Nipah virus outbreaks in Kerala originated from bats and caused fatalities in humans.

• Broader Spectrum of Infectious Agents: An analysis published in Nature Climate Change in 2022 warns that humans now face a wider range of infectious agents due to climate change. Over half of all known infectious diseases that threaten humans are exacerbated by changing climate patterns.
• New Transmission Routes: Diseases often find new transmission routes due to climate change. This includes transmission through environmental sources as well as through medical tourism and contaminated food and water from once-reliable sources.
• Ecosystem Transformation: Climate change is transforming ecosystems by introducing invasive species and extending the range of existing life forms. These changes trigger complex upheavals in ecosystems, making it challenging for ecologists and epidemiologists to predict disease outbreaks.
• Manifestation of Climatic Shifts: These climatic shifts are manifesting in severe health crises, including a dengue epidemic in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Kolkata, as well as the Nipah outbreak in Kerala.
• Human-Induced Health Vulnerability Crisis:

• Human-induced climate change is described as unleashing an unprecedented health vulnerability crisis.
• India, in particular, has experienced the ominous impact, with early summers and erratic monsoons leading to water scarcity in regions like the Gangetic Plains and Kerala.

Current Surveillance, Reporting, and Challenges

• Improved Reporting Over the Decades:

• India has made significant progress in reporting disease outbreaks over the past two decades.
• Initiatives like the Integrated Disease Surveillance Program (IDSP) were introduced to enhance disease surveillance.
• For example, in 2008, IDSP reported 553 outbreaks, and by 2017, this number had increased to 1,714.

• Transition to the Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP):

• The IDSP was phased out in favor of a newer system called the Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) in 2018.
• IHIP is a web-enabled, near-real-time electronic information system that added 20 additional disease conditions compared to IDSP’s 13.
• It aimed to provide disaggregated data to its users.

• Unfulfilled Expectations: Despite the promise of IHIP, the program has not fully met expectations for real-time tracking of emerging disease outbreaks.
• Inadequate Surveillance for Emerging Diseases: The current design of disease surveillance is deemed inadequate for the emerging disease scenario brought about by climate change.

The Need for a Unified Approach: One Health

• Interconnectedness of Health: One Health recognizes the interconnectedness of human, animal, plant, and environmental health. It emphasizes that these domains are interdependent and that the health of one is intimately linked to the health of the others.
• Preventing Disease Outbreaks: The One Health approach is pivotal in preventing disease outbreaks, particularly those originating from animals. It acknowledges that diseases like zoonotic infections (those that can be transmitted from animals to humans), neglected tropical diseases, vector-borne diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and environmental contamination are all interconnected.
• Holistic Approach: One Health takes a holistic approach to health surveillance and prevention. It goes beyond traditional disease control strategies and recognizes the need to address health challenges at their source, including the role of ecosystems.

Recommendations for India

• Implement one health program: Foster synergy between the central and state governments and their specialized agencies, including animal husbandry, forest and wildlife, municipal corporations, and public health departments. Develop robust surveillance systems and establish lines of responsibility and collaboration.
• Coordination and Management: With the influx of funding from sources like the World Bank, enhance the coordination and management of One Health initiatives. The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Prime Minister has played a leading role, but greater collaboration is essential.

Way forward: Looking Beyond Disease X

• The Obsession with “Disease X”: While the global focus remains on the mysterious “Disease X,” the ongoing challenges posed by familiar infectious agents like influenza, measles, Japanese encephalitis, dengue, and diarrhoea continue to strain public health systems.
• Climate Change’s Broader Impact: Climate change is not limited to infectious diseases. It exacerbates injuries and fatalities resulting from extreme weather events, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, and mental health issues.
• Nipah’s Wake-Up Call: The re-emergence of the Nipah virus in Kerala serves as a stark wake-up call, emphasizing that a mere biomedical response to diseases is inadequate in the face of evolving threats.
• The Role of Ecosystems: Protecting ecosystems becomes paramount as they play a crucial role in mitigating climate-induced infectious diseases and maintaining overall ecological balance.
• Fostering Collaboration: Collaboration among various stakeholders, including government agencies, health departments, environmental bodies, and the public, is essential to effectively address these complex challenges.
• Proactive Safeguarding: The road ahead demands concerted efforts not only to adapt to climate change but also to proactively safeguard our planet and the well-being of its inhabitants for a resilient and healthier future.

Conclusion

• The urgent need for a One Health approach to combat climate-induced infectious diseases is clear. India must prioritize collaboration, surveillance, and ecosystem protection to effectively address this growing threat and secure a healthier future for its population.

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