diseases in Kolkata due to climate change

1. .
Shakya Ganguly
(Deptt. Of Geography
BIDHAN CHANDRA COLLEGE,Rishra,
C.U.)
STATUS OF DISEASES AS A
RESULT OF CLIMATE CHANFGE

2. Human Health Introduction The changing climate is
affecting the basic requirements for maintaining health
clean air and water, sufficient food and adequate
shelter. Each year, about 1.2 million people die world
wide from causes attributable to urban air pollution,
2.2 million from diarrhoea largely resulting from lack of
access to clean water supply and sanitation, and from
poor hygiene, 3.5 million from malnutrition and
approximately 60,000 in natural disasters. A warmer
and more variable climate threatens to lead to higher
levels of some air pollutants, increase transmission of
diseases through unclean water and through
contaminated food, to compromise agricultural
production in some of the least developed countries,
and to increase the hazards of extreme weather.
Climate change also brings new challenges to the
control of infectious diseases.

3. .
Study Area
The survey was done in
various districts of WEST
BENGAL.
THE SURVEY WAS DIVIDED
IN 3 SECTIONS-
PLATEAU,PLAIN AND HILLY
REGION SURVEY
The plateau regions including
Purulia,Bankura
The plain regions including
some regions of the Kolkata
municipal coorporation
The hilly regions including
Darjeeling,Duars

4. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

5. METHODOLOGY
.Procuring maps of the
study area.
Survey at HEALTH
DEPARTMENTS of
WEST BENGAL with
a standard
questionnaire set.
Taking snaps of field
photographs.

6. Source: Based on f tiger survey 2004
YEAR MALARIA CHOLERA ACUTE
DIARRHOE
A
TOTAL
1989 129 107 25 261
1992 115 95 20 230
1996 96 88 18 202
1997 108 110 32 250
1999 56 11 29 96
2001 44 15 36 95
2004 42 19 21 82
DEATH RECORDS

7. .
 Many of the major killers are highly climate
sensitive as regards temperature and
rainfall, including cholera and the diarrhoeal
diseases, as well as diseases including
malaria, dengue and other infections carried
by vectors. In sum, climate change threatens
to slow, halt or reverse the progress that the
global public health community is now
making against many of these disease. Most
of the diseases attributed to climate
conditions are also influenced by the socio
economic parametres driven by different
developmental paradigms resulting in
creating conducive environment for the
occurrence and spread of the disease.
Therefore, along with the interventions of
the advancing medical science and
pharmacology, though disease are being
controlled, but the trends of the diseases over
the years when seen in totality do not seem
to be exclusively driven by climate. However,
it is known that that with climate change
some of the diseases may spread to newer
areas and there might be emergence of new
diseases as well.

8. CURRENT REPORT[2010]
Status of Disease profile related to climate in West Bengal Water Borne
Disease Rise in temperature, rise in sea level, and erratic rainfall resulting in
the floods and water contamination lead to various water borne diseases in
various parts of the state. Of the water borne diseases; Cholera, Acute
Diarrhoea Disease (ADD), and Enteric fever are most prominently affected by
the climate. These diseases are found at a quite high incidence in the of
West Bengal state. Over the last three years 2008-2010, the incidence rate
and the mortality rate of these diseases are found to be more or less
constant. Among the different districts the annual incidence rate of Acute
Diarrhoea in Dakshin Dinajpur, Cooch Behar Malda is found around 50/lakh
population with an indication of constant persistent of the disease in this
region. The incidence rate of enteric fever though less in comparison to the
diarrhoeal disease but considering the large population the total number of
cases seem to be a huge disease burden. The annual attack rate of last
three years report of different district of the state shows that the disease is
endemic in Bankura, Darjeeling, Malda, Purba Midnapore and Dakshin
Dinajpur. Of these districts, the annual report of Darjeeling seems to be
alarming as the attack rate seems to be increasing every year (3.5, 5.1, 7.5 in
2008-2009 and 2010 respectively.) Cholera Cholera caused by Vibrio
cholerae has a direct link with the climate fluctuation and can lead to not only
local outbreak but world wide pandemic.

9. In 2009 due to Aila super cyclone, an outbreak of many diseases happened,
amongst which cholera was rampant. Therefore the positive rates in 2009
were very high when compared to other years. In the year 2010, outbreak of
cholera was observed in the three major districts of West Bengal. During the
month of May 90 patients suffered from Cholera in the district of Howrah
along with 3 deaths. In the month of June another outbreak was reported in
the district of Nadia with 287 cases and in the month of October 24 cases
were reported in the district of Jalpaiguri. So, the cholera outbreaks in these
districts of West Bengal reports are total of 401 cases along with 3 deaths.
Vector Borne Disease Climate changes and increase climate variability,
specially flooding present an increased risk of mosquito-borne disease
epidemic. Increasing average temperature and greater variation in
precipitation facilitate vector production and parasite transmission which
could change the temporal and spatial distribution of the vector borne
diseases. Studies between climate variability and malaria show that rainfall is
an important indicator for early warning of malaria. Various studies reveal that
the duration of sporogony in female Anopheles mosquito (responsible for the
transmission of malaria), decreases with increase in temperature from 200 to
250 C which in turn accelerate the ovarian development, egg laying and
frequency of feeding on host and thus the probability of transmission of
disease Among the vector borne diseases Malaria, Chikungunya, Dengue,
Kalazar and Japanese Encephalitis remain a constant threat in our state.

10. Impacts on vulnerable population: Health effects are expected to be more severe for elderly people and
people with infirmities or pre-existing medical conditions. The groups who are likely to bear most of the
resulting disease burden are children and the poor, especially women. The major diseases that are
most sensitive to climate change – diarrhoea, vector-borne diseases like malaria,dengue, kalazar,
chikenguniya (a new entrant into the scenario) and infections associated with undernutrition – are most
serious in children living in poverty. Newer areas of infiltration for vectors: Warming of the climate and
the variable precipation across space, may offer newer sites of breeding of the vectors, pathogens, and
bacteria. For example one study carried out to understand the likely spread of malaria in India
(Bhattacharya et al., 2006) indicates that malaria may shift to higher altitudes. Also it is noticed that
vector borne diseases are becoming more and more endemic in cities, for example in the city of
Kolkata, the total number of malaria incidences was 60% of the total malaria occurrence in the state in
2010. Clearly the endemic regions are the North Kolkata, around Calcutta medical college, around
Kalighat, and in Garden reach.This is mostly because of the disturbance of the ecology of the region
that naturally controls the pests and diseases arising out of rampant changes in land use, disturbing the
draingae systems etc. Climate change indicating a temperature rise and likely hood of occurrence of
extreme precipitation events may lead to further retention of moisture in the ground and vegetation
leading to more proliferation of all vector borne diseases. Increase in incidences of morbidities due to
increase in extreme heat events: Similarly an analysis of the occurrence of extreme temperatures
(Sharma et al, 2001, private communications) using the outputs of PRECIS regional climate model
driven by A1B scenario, indicates, that West Bengal is a state susceptible to very high temperatures
and the number days that the extreme temperatures is likely to persist is increasing under this scenario
in 2030s wrt to base line i.e 1960-1990. Higher damages, morbidity and mortality due to increase in
intensity of cyclones: Using a running average of high intensity cyclone frequencies in the northern Bay
of Bengal area, scientists from Indian meteorological Department have observed a 26% rise in the
frequency of high to very high intensity cyclones over the last 120 years. With rise in sea surface
temperatures, the frequency and intensity of the cyclones likely to increase in the future, causing more
morbidities and deaths, in addition to damages to property. Increase in water borne diseases:
Recurrent flooding in flood plains, and incursion of sea water on land due to cyclones, storm surges and
sea level rise, is another concern for West Bengal.

11. In tropical countries increase in number of duration of days of extreme temperatures
causes heat stress leading to mortality. In this region, the maximum and minimum
temperatures are steadily rising, and the daily minimum temperature is rising faster
than the daily maximum temperature resulting in gradual reduction of diurnal range.
Span and intensity of winters is also decreasing. Winter temperature has increased by
0.4°C during the last 15 years ending in 2009 compared to the previous 15 years
period and span of winter reduced by about a week during the same period.
The surveillance report of sun stroke in West Bengal of last two years shows that the
total number of cases in 2009 and 2010 are 482 and 147 respectively with death
reported to be 4 and 1 respectively. The most affected districts are Howrah (91 cases
with 1 death), Nadia (44 cases), Paschim Midnapore (46 cases), Uttar Dinajpur (54
cases) and Birbhum (11 cases and 2 deaths) in 2009. However in 2010, the affected
districts are Paschim Midnapore (53 cases), and Purulia (33 cases and 1 death).
Paschim Midnapore remains the constant affected district with the number of cases
increasing needs careful attention and monitoring. Policies and Programmes to
Manage Morbidity and Mortality Health and Family Welfare Department. Funding for
some of the projects is received from the Central Government.
The main programmes and projects that cover the climate related diseases, currently
under implementation in the State are: o National Vector Borne Disease Control
Programme o Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme o State Water Borne
Disease Control Programme o State Disaster Management Programme In the State at
present there are 9 Medical College Hospitals, 16 District Hospitals, 46 Sub Divisional
Hospitals, 35 State General Hospitals, 33 other hospitals, 93 Rural Hospitals

12.  Also it is noticed that vector borne diseases are becoming more and more
endemic in cities, for example in the city of Kolkata, the total number of malaria
incidences was 60% of the total malaria occurrence in the state in 2010. Clearly
the endemic regions are the North Kolkata, around Calcutta medical college,
around Kalighat, and in Garden reach.This is mostly because of the disturbance
of the ecology of the region that naturally controls the pests and diseases arising
out of rampant changes in land use, disturbing the draingae systems etc.
Climate change indicating a temperature rise and likely hood of occurrence of
extreme precipitation events may lead to further retention of moisture in the
ground and vegetation leading to more proliferation of all vector borne
diseases. Increase in incidences of morbidities due to increase in extreme heat
events: Similarly an analysis of the occurrence of extreme temperatures
(Sharma et al, 2001, private communications) using the outputs of PRECIS
regional climate model driven by A1B scenario, indicates, that West Bengal is a
state susceptible to very high temperatures and the number days that the
extreme temperatures is likely to persist is increasing under this scenario in
2030s wrt to base line i.e 1960-1990

13. As we see from the previous slides that the
abrupt change of climatic conditions is
having a great effect on human life specially
the rural areas.
So it is very clear that we start taking some
quick result oriented steps to prevet this
killer diseases to spread in more areas.
It is very obvious that our state government
needs to improve our health and hospitality
infrastructure by implementing new
technologies but before that we,the coomon
man need to raise awareness.Only then we
can secure the future of our upcoming
generations

14. THANK YOU