Abstract
Climate change affects the health of human beings through several mechanisms. Changes in the average surface temperature on earth, heat waves, adverse weather events and other environmental alterations can increase mortality and morbidity by increasing the risk of infections carried by food and water. Water-related diseases could occur due to both the deficiency of water and its poor quality. They are generally classified into four groups: waterborne, water-washed, water-based and water-related vector-borne diseases. Food-borne diseases can be achieved either by ingesting the pathogenic microorganism or through the toxins produced by them contained in the food. Furthermore, ecological and environmental changes directly affect the spread of vector-borne diseases that nowadays continue representing some of the major microbial causes of morbidity and mortality in the world.
Environmental alterations associated with climate change have also been proved to influence microbial communities within the human body. This diverse community that colonize us has demonstrated importance on the function of the immune system, food digestion, development of chronic diseases and modulation of brain functioning. It is being affected by elements such as antibiotic use, heavy metals, micro-plastics, organic pollutants, pesticides and food additives. Through all these mechanisms, among yet so many others, climate change is affecting human health.
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Domenico, B. et al. (2022). The Impact of Environmental Alterations on Human Microbiota and Infectious Diseases. In: Ingegnoli, V., Lombardo, F., La Torre, G. (eds) Environmental Alteration Leads to Human Disease . Sustainable Development Goals Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-83160-8_10
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