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October 9, 2002

INTERNATIONAL IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"Invasion of Diseases Linked to Warming"

National Post (CAN) (www.nationalpost.com) (10/07/02) P. A2; Blackwell, Tom

Dr. Dominique Charron of Health Canada believes that global warming is boosting the population of rats, mosquitoes, and other infection-carrying vermin, which can thus increase the risk of illnesses such as E. coli and encephalitis.  Her study--published in this month's Canadian Journal of Public Health--suggests that physicians, health care providers, public health workers, and the Canadian public should be made aware of the risks.  Charron's study also mentions zoonotic disease, Lyme disease, plague, Dengue fever, and other illnesses that are likely to increase as the temperature rises.  Agreeing with Charron about the effect of global warming on illness is one of Canada's top experts on infectious disease, Dr. Allison McGeer of Mt. Sinai Hospital in Toronto, who notes that Canada needs to increase its support for the development of vaccines and treatments for these bacteria and viruses.  "We need to invest a substantial amount of time and effort, given the threat, to try and figure out what those things will be and be braced for the impact in [the] future," she explained.

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