Hydrometeorology and flood pulse dynamics drive diarrheal disease outbreaks and increase vulnerability to climate change in surface-water-dependent populations: A retrospective analysis.
Kathleen A AlexanderAlexandra K HeaneyJeffrey L ShamanPublished in: PLoS medicine (2018)
In flood pulse river-floodplain systems, hydrology and water quality dynamics can be highly variable, potentially impacting conventional water treatment facilities and the production of safe drinking water. In Southern Africa, climate change is predicted to intensify hydrological variability and the frequency of extreme weather events, amplifying the public health threat of waterborne disease in surface-water-dependent populations. Water sector development should be prioritized with urgency, incorporating technologies that are robust to local environmental conditions and expected climate-driven impacts. In populations with high HIV burdens, expansion of diarrheal disease surveillance and intervention strategies may also be needed. As annual flood pulse processes are predominantly influenced by climate controls in distant regions, country-level data may be inadequate to refine predictions of climate-health interactions in these systems.
Keyphrases
- climate change
- public health
- drinking water
- human health
- water quality
- blood pressure
- healthcare
- hepatitis c virus
- antiretroviral therapy
- mental health
- hiv infected
- electronic health record
- risk assessment
- human immunodeficiency virus
- machine learning
- hiv testing
- big data
- deep learning
- combination therapy
- data analysis
- global health