A health check for the Earth @ the London `Catastrophes` conferenceAugust 17, 2002The condition of our environment at any time reflects not only human influences but also natural processes and phenomena, which may be causing change - whether or not people are present. So how do we know when humans are to blame and when it`s just the environment behaving `naturally`. At Brunel University`s `Environmental Catastrophes` conference, keynote plenary talks by two prominent international scientists will address this thorny issue. Antony Berger will present a checklist of geological indicators of rapid environmental change. Listed are 27 earth system processes and phenomena that are liable to change in less than a century in magnitude, direction, or rate to an extent that may be significant for environmental sustainability and ecological health. For Paul Epstein, reading the biological signs and symptoms of environmental change can provide important guides for managing and nurturing ecosystem integrity and the global climate system. He argues that our changing global climate is already having its effect on public health. Since the mid-1970s 30 infectious diseases new to medicine have emerged, old diseases have experienced resurgence while others have undergone redistribution. Climate restricts the range of infectious diseases, while weather affects the timing and intensity of outbreaks. According to Epstein, we are witnessing the ranges of several key diseases changing in montane regions alongside upward shifts in plant communities and the retreat of alpine glaciers. In addition, extreme weather events are creating conditions conducive to "clusters" of outbreaks. Sequential extremes - e.g. droughts punctuated by heavy rains - can destabilize predator/prey interactions, leading to population explosions of opportunistic, disease-carrying organisms. Explosions of nuisance and weedy species - rodents, mosquitoes and plankton - and diseases emerging across a wide taxonomic range of species are all symptoms of multiple ecological disturbances and mounting environmental instability. Geological Society of London, The |
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| Related Infectious Diseases Current Events and Infectious Diseases News Articles U.S. and European Experts Applaud Creation of New Transatlantic Task Force on Global Antibiotic Resistance Threat Experts on both sides of the Atlantic applaud President Barack Obama and Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, representing the European Union (EU) Presidency, for establishing a transatlantic task force to address antibiotic resistance, an urgent and growing problem that threatens patient safety and public health worldwide. When should flu trigger a school shutdown? As flu season approaches, parents around the country are starting to face school closures. But how bad should an influenza outbreak be for a school to shut down? PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative shares strategy for developing 'next-generation' malaria vaccines Marking its tenth anniversary year, the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI) today unveiled a new strategy that sets the stage for an aggressive push targeting the long-term goal of eliminating and eradicating malaria. Malaria is one of the world's deadliest infectious diseases, killing nearly 900,000 people a year, most of them children in sub-Saharan Africa. Poorly cleaned public cruise ship restrooms may predict norovirus outbreaks team of researchers from Boston University School (BUSM), Carney Hospital, Cambridge Health Alliance and Tufts University School of Medicine, have found that widespread poor compliance with regular cleaning of public restrooms on cruise ships may predict subsequent norovirus infection outbreaks (NoVOs). Initial Results Show Pregnant Women Mount Strong Immune Response To One Dose of 2009 H1N1 Flu Vaccine Healthy pregnant women mount a robust immune response following just one dose of 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine, according to initial results from an ongoing clinical trial sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health. Flu vaccine given to women during pregnancy keeps infants out of the hospital Infants born to women who received influenza vaccine during pregnancy were hospitalized at a lower rate than infants born to unvaccinated mothers. Global challenges and opportunities in fighting HIV/AIDS and neglected diseases Responding to the HIV/AIDS pandemic and tackling so-called neglected tropical diseases are the focus of the November/December 2009 edition of Health Affairs. Progress made on group B streptococcus vaccine Scientists supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, have completed a Phase II clinical study that indicates a vaccine to prevent Group B Streptococcus (GBS) infection is possible. Pandemic flu vaccine campaigns may be undermined by coincidental medical events The effectiveness of pandemic flu vaccination campaigns - like that now underway for H1N1 - could be undermined by the public incorrectly associating coincidental and unrelated health events with the vaccines. USU scientists report major advance in human antibody therapy against deadly Nipah virus A collaborative research team from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU), Australian Animal Health Laboratory and National Cancer Institute, a component of the National Institutes of Health, reports a major step forward in the development of an effective therapy against two deadly viruses, Nipah virus and the related Hendra virus. More Infectious Diseases Current Events and Infectious Diseases News Articles |
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