Climate change and control of diarrhoeal diseases in South Africa: Priorities for action
2019
Weather conditions, especially temperature and precipitation, play
a critical role in shaping patterns of diarrhoeal diseases. They
determine the frequency of outbreaks, and the spatial and seasonal
distribution of cases. Not surprisingly, it is anticipated that the
burden of diarrhoeal diseases will escalate with climate change,
in tandem with gradual increments in mean temperatures, but
also during episodic heatwaves. The degree and nature of this
escalation will, however, vary with the mix of pathogens in an
area, the quality of sanitation services, food hygiene regulations
and their enforcement, and the age structure of the population,
among other factors. Understanding these patterns can inform the
design of measures to prevent and control heat-related diarrhoea.
In this editorial, we sum evidence on the heat sensitivity of enteric
infections in South Africa (SA) and other parts of sub-Saharan
Africa (19 studies), drawing on articles located in a systematic
review (methods detailed in Manyuchi et al.
[1]), and consider the
implications of these findings for control of diarrhoea in SA in the
context of climate change.
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