The Impact of Climate Change on Human Health Zoom on August 20th 2020
The Impact of Climate Change on Human Health
Robyn Jacobs, MD
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, I found myself sequestering on my property here in South Strafford and trying to stay abreast of the rapidly expanding medical literature related to this new viral threat. I started practicing telehealth both from my private practice and through my job at the White River Junction VA. Then I got sick. Not from COVID-19 but from Anaplasmosis, A tick-borne illness whose prevalence is increasing in large part due to the impact of climate change.
Climate change is a massive public health threat and one for which there will not be a vaccine nor effective treatment. Its progression is more insidious and its impact less obvious. When we think of climate change it’s easy to think about the impact on the world around us, but we as humans are dependent upon our environment for our survival and we are rapidly converting the planet into an environment that will not sustain human life. We are already seeing negative effects on our health due to climate change. These include increased respiratory diseases such as asthma and a rise in heart disease as well as an increase in tick and mosquito-borne diseases. Heat-related illness is on the rise and the negative physical and mental health effects of extreme weather are increasing globally.
To learn more about how climate change is impacting human health in Vermont join me for a Zoom meeting on the Impact of Climate Change on Human Health at 7:00 on Thursday, August 20th, via Zoom (link below). We will discuss the local effects we are already seeing and explore strategies to improve both our personal health and the health of this planet on which we depend.
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