HEALTH Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy told the Guyana Chronicle there is a definite link between climate change and health issues and stressed that the world over is seeing the “independent impact” of climate change in areas like cancer and asthma. He explained that as it relates to asthma, global warming aggravates the existing pollution and there is an increase in the pollutants in the air, apart from those generated by industries.
“The threat to health is diverse and not just in one area…even if there are no floods the increase in the temperature will have severe impacts on people’s lives,” Ramsammy said.
In this context, the Health Minister said there is a need to prioritize, starting with vector control.
Ramsammy said the world is already witnessing an increase in infectious diseases, case in point the West Nile Virus in the United States of America (USA).
The main route of human infection is through the bite of an infected mosquito and according to reports from the United States the West Nile infection cases number 663 cases in 2009.
The Health Minister said, “Countries like Guyana at some time can expect West Nile to reach here.”
He noted the cost of climate change and said even before Guyanese are affected resources will have to be used to detect it, to put surveillance systems in place.
Currently, Ramsammy said dengue is a threat that Guyana has and pointed out that there is not a country in the sub-tropics that has not experienced an increase in the incidences of dengue.
He pointed out that over the last five years there have been a “definite” upward trend of the disease.
According to him in 2007 the incidence was 46 per every 100,000 and now that has more than doubled to 196 per 100,000.
With an increase, the Health Minister said emphasis has to be placed on vulnerable groups including the elderly and young children.
“With an increase in the life expectancy we have to look at elderly people…in the last five years the number of deaths in the over 65-years range has increased…the increase in temperature may not cause elderly people to die, but it will make them sick,” he said.
Ramsammy stated that globally there is not enough focus being placed on the impact of climate change on health.
However, with Guyana’s advancement of the LCDS, he noted that the global community is being pushed to address all aspects of climate change; they are being pushed to look at the wider picture.
The World Health Organisation (WHO), as well as global Universities are involved in the move to address climate change with a wider vision.
“Guyana should take pride in this,” he said.
Ramsammy said Guyana is not only influencing action, but is making strides of its own in many areas including: improving programmes to address cancer, doing more to address heart conditions as well as addressing tropical diseases and vector control.
“The impacts on people’s lives are wide,” he said.