Event Title
Impact of Climate Change on Human Zoonoses, With an Emphasis on COVID-19
Abstract
Over the last few decades, the world has experienced several pandemic outbreaks of various pathogens and the frequency of the emergence of novel strains of infectious organisms has increased in recent decades. Many studies have found associations between climatic conditions and zoonoses transmission. However, there is debate about the future impacts of climate change on zoonoses transmission, especially with the rise of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). In the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic, this study investigated the major causative climatic factors that influence the repeated emergence of pandemics, by examining the current impact of climate change on viral (e.g., West Nile and Dengue) and non-viral (e.g., Lyme and Malaria) zoonoses transmission. A literature search was conducted, using the electronic databases: PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, GEOBASE and CINAHL. The search focused on peer-reviewed primary research articles published in English from 2004 through 2020. 52 studies met the inclusion criteria and the majority of the studies showed that the transmission of pathogens is highly sensitive to climatic conditions, especially temperature, rainfall, relative humidity and wind. This study suggests that temperature is the most significant climatic variable affecting zoonotic pathogen incidence, compared to wind, relative humidity and precipitation. Higher relative temperatures tend to decrease pathogen incidence for COVID-19, but the opposite relationship is evident for West Nile, Lyme, Dengue and Malaria. Extrapolating this towards the epidemiology of COVID-19 proposes a modest reduction in COVID-19 transmission during the summer. This information can be utilized for future research related to COVID-19 transmission and alleviation. Future research should also focus on improved pathogen surveillance and a better understanding of bioclimatic relationships from interdisciplinary perspectives.
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Impact of Climate Change on Human Zoonoses, With an Emphasis on COVID-19
Over the last few decades, the world has experienced several pandemic outbreaks of various pathogens and the frequency of the emergence of novel strains of infectious organisms has increased in recent decades. Many studies have found associations between climatic conditions and zoonoses transmission. However, there is debate about the future impacts of climate change on zoonoses transmission, especially with the rise of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). In the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic, this study investigated the major causative climatic factors that influence the repeated emergence of pandemics, by examining the current impact of climate change on viral (e.g., West Nile and Dengue) and non-viral (e.g., Lyme and Malaria) zoonoses transmission. A literature search was conducted, using the electronic databases: PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, GEOBASE and CINAHL. The search focused on peer-reviewed primary research articles published in English from 2004 through 2020. 52 studies met the inclusion criteria and the majority of the studies showed that the transmission of pathogens is highly sensitive to climatic conditions, especially temperature, rainfall, relative humidity and wind. This study suggests that temperature is the most significant climatic variable affecting zoonotic pathogen incidence, compared to wind, relative humidity and precipitation. Higher relative temperatures tend to decrease pathogen incidence for COVID-19, but the opposite relationship is evident for West Nile, Lyme, Dengue and Malaria. Extrapolating this towards the epidemiology of COVID-19 proposes a modest reduction in COVID-19 transmission during the summer. This information can be utilized for future research related to COVID-19 transmission and alleviation. Future research should also focus on improved pathogen surveillance and a better understanding of bioclimatic relationships from interdisciplinary perspectives.