Burden of community diarrhoea in developing countries

Burden of community diarrhoea in developing countries

Correspondence Burden of community diarrhoea in developing countries and colleagues1 identified multiple pathogens contributing to diarrhoeal diseas...

30KB Sizes 0 Downloads 129 Views

Correspondence

Burden of community diarrhoea in developing countries

and colleagues1 identified multiple pathogens contributing to diarrhoeal disease, highlighting the necessity for a broader mitigation plan. I declare no competing interests.

The Article by James Platts-Mills and colleagues (September, 2015), 1 highlights the burden of diarrhoeal disease in young children in developing countries and also demonstrates the effect that seasonal variations have on multiple causative pathogens. Infectious gastroenteritis contributes significantly to the 1 billion episodes of diarrhoea and 3 million deaths in children under 5 years, and is the fifth leading cause of death worldwide.2 Pathogens causing diarrhoea frequently show seasonality, suggesting that climate and enteric disease are inextricably linked. This link has important implications if we accept the very real threat of climate change on human health. WHO quantified the impact of global warming on diarrhoea, reporting that warming by 1°C was associated with a 5% increase in diarrhoea.3 Increased rainfall has been associated with higher incidence of norovirus4 whereas rotavirus often peaks in colder months. As such, extreme weather events associated with climate change are likely to alter patterns of gastroenteritis. The increased replication rate of some bacterial and viral pathogens in warm conditions,5 combined with poor water and sanitation infrastructure, means that people in developing nations are particularly vulnerable. Predicting the potential effects of climate change on the incidence and distribution of infectious gastroenteritis can assist public health providers to control and prevent severe outbreaks in the future. Implementation of programmes for rotavirus vaccination clearly shows benefit and should be an adaptation strategy to help cope with climate change. More importantly, however, Platts-Mills www.thelancet.com/lancetgh Vol 4 January 2016

Copyright © Baker. Open Access article distributed under the terms of CC BY.

Tess Baker [email protected] Peninsula Health Physiotherapy, Wantirna, Melbourne, VIC 3144, Australia 1

2

3

4

5

Platts-Mills JA, Babji S, Bodhidatta L, et al. Pathogen-specific burdens of community diarrhoea in developing countries: a multisite birth cohort study (MAL-ED). Lancet Glob Health 2015; 3: e564–75. Onozuka D. Effect of non-stationary climate on infectious gastroenteritis transmission in Japan. Sci Rep 2014; 4: 5157. WHO. Climate change and human health: risks and responses. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2004: 333. Bruggink LD, Marshall JA. The incidence of norovirus-associated gastroenteritis outbreaks in Victoria, Australia (2002–2007) and their relationship with rainfall. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2010; 7: 2822–27. Kolstad EW, Johansson KA. Uncertainties associated with quantifying climate change impacts on human health: a case study for diarrhea. Environ Health Perspect 2011; 119: 299–305.

e25