Malaria and the Climate Change

Malaria cases in East African highland areas hitherto unaffected by the disease have caused worry that global warming is creating new mosquito breeding grounds but experts disagree on whether there is actually any link between the two.

"We have recently seen waves of epidemics in highland areas... They have actually killed people," said Dr. Amos Odiit, who was until October head of clinical pediatrics at Mulago hospital in the Ugandan capital Kampala.

The first cases of malaria in Uganda's western Kabale region, which rises 2,000 metres above sea level, were reported in 2007, said Seraphine Adibaku, the head of the national programme against malaria.

"It is climate change. Kabale is not as cold as before," she added. (Source:NAIROBI (AFP))

According to climate experts also known as climatologists, Africa has become warmer by 0.7 degrees Celsius over a century, which result to a spread of malaria as mosquitoes that carry the parasite thrive in warmer environment and cannot survive in temperatures below 15 degrees.

But there are still arguments that have something to do whether it has an effect due to global warming.

As for Dr. Andrew Githeko from Kenya, who leads a research project into climate change and human health, the relationship between the two phenomena is clear.

"There is a very direct link between malaria and climate. As climate changes further, more areas will become suitable for transmission  of the malaria parasite,” argued Githeko (source: Yahoo News).

Nonetheless, it is still in one’s state of economic progress and the development of health agencies and departments whether they are aware of the current situation and the correlation between malaria spread and the climate change.

True enough, malaria death related cases rises in certain areas due to rising global temperatures and it is spreading like an epidemic especially in areas where medicines and information dissemination is limited.

Rory Nefdt, a UNICEF official in charge of malaria control in east and southern Africa, conceded that climate change creates favourable conditions for the spread of malaria, but says public health programmes can, if implemented properly, outweigh the effects of climate change (source: yahoo News).

With the real scenario of what we are facing right now. With the effects and impact of global warming in our everyday lives plus our daily activities, everyone should be aware and find ways how to deal with this.

The local and international organizations should focus on how to deal with these kinds of effects to reach out and give as many as they can information regarding our present situation in climate change and global warming in general.