Open AccessClimate change: The challenges for public health preparedness and response- An Indian case study
Author(s) -
Rajan R Patil,
TM Deepa
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
the indian journal of occupational and environmental medicine/the indian journal of occupational and environmental medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.375
H-Index - 26
eISSN - 1998-3670
pISSN - 0973-2284
DOI - 10.4103/0019-5278.38460
Subject(s) - climate change , preparedness , global warming , public health , extreme weather , vulnerability (computing) , geography , flood myth , poverty , indian subcontinent , global health , warning system , socioeconomics , development economics , economic growth , climatology , environmental health , political science , medicine , history , economics , engineering , computer security , law , aerospace engineering , ecology , ancient history , archaeology , computer science , biology , nursing , geology
Extremes weather changes surpassing their usual statistical ranges and tumbling records in India could be an early warning bell of global warming. Extreme weather events like the recent record setting in western Indian city of Mumbai or all time high fatalities due to the heat wave in southern Indian states or increasing vulnerability of easten Indian states to flood could all be a manifestation of climate change in the Asian subcontinent. While the skeptics may be inclined to dismiss these events as simple local aberrations, when viewed in an epidemiological paradigm in terms of person, time and space couple with frequency, intensity and fatalities, it could well be an early manifestation of climate change. Global warming poses serious challenge to the health sector and hence warrants emergency health preparedness and response. Climate-sensitive diseases are among the largest global killers, hence major brunt of global climate change in terms of adverse health impact will be mostly borne by poor and developing countries in Asia, given the levels of poverty, nutional levels and poor public health infrastructure.