Are Climate Change and the Swine Flu Related??

Swine Flu and climate change may be inextricably related. Both are the end results of unbridled economic growth and environmental degradation. The catastrophic impacts of climate change and unsustainable development can cause damage to human health. Climate change is a direct result of unsustainable development as is environment degradation and the emergence and spread of diseases which have their roots in the combination of intensive agricultural practices, water polution and food production.

In October, 2008, the Wildlife Conservation Society, named the “deadly dozen” diseases that could be more virulent and spread more intensely, as a ramification of weather and climate changes. The list includes avian flu, which is one of the three genetic components of the Mexico swine influenza, along with the human and swine genetic presence.

Climate Change may contribute to the accelerated occurrence of pandemics, but I believe it is more than likely the size and deadliness of the recent 100 years of pandemics that may be attributed to global activities such as the economy, war and pollution.

The term ‘climate change’ conjures images of melting ice caps and rising sea levels that threaten coastal cities and nations, but just as important is how increasing temperatures and fluctuating precipitation levels will change the distribution of dangerous diseases.Since the 1500s, flu pandemics have been occurring at approx. every 10 to 30 years.

The Spanish Flu (1918) — actually started in the United States and recorded approximately 50 million deaths worldwide. The Asian Flu (1957) — approx. 2 million deaths worldwide and the Hong Kong Flu (1969) — approx. 1 million deaths worldwide. Different internet sites quote differing statistics so these are just approximate.The Hong Kong Flu lingered around for 20 years (1969 to about 1992), but it was not a pandemic by definition. However, within the last 10 years, there has been three new potential pandemics (Avian Flu 2004; SARS 2005; and now the Swine Flu 2009). The reason is unclear, but fortunately, knowledge and quick actions were taken to slow the spread.

Vaccinations against smallpox heralded a new era for worldwide human health but how can we keep up with providing protection against the accelerating mutations of viruses?

The swine flu of today's concern is a descendant of the same pandemic flu that killed 50 million or more people in 1918. But on the other hand, so are almost all of the seasonal flues that human populations are exposed to every year, they usually aren't as virulent as this one is proving to be.