VISAKHAPATNAM: Confirmation of dengue cases in the city and other places in the neighbourhood and resurgence of malaria in Araku and Seethammapeta agency tracts could be due to climate change, according to noted physician Kutikuppala Surya Rao.
He told The Hindu on Saturday on the eve of World Health Day that climate change was a significant and emerging threat to public health. “Impact of climate change on human health is not evenly distributed in the world. Vulnerability is more in arid, high mountainous, island and densely populated coastal areas,” he stated.
Dr. Rao, a recipient of Padmasri award, said heavy influx of migrant population to the city and location of valley blocking natural drainage system could be contributing to ecological imbalance and climatic divergence.
Concern
Expressing concern over attempts to convert the city and its suburbs into a concrete jungle, he said Yarada konda, Kailasagiri and Yerramatti Dibbalu were the nature’s gift to Visakhapatnam but these areas were being tampered with in the name of development.
Referring to the report of Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change, he said evidence was found that humans were affecting global climate. Deaths and diseases were being spread through natural disasters like heatwaves, droughts and floods.
Dr. Rao said several diseases were highly sensitive to changing temperatures and precipitation.
He said there was an urgent need to protect health by sensitising people and initiating measures to stop effects of climate change.
