West Nile, Hantavirus, Dengue Fever Linked to Earth's Warming

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For Immediate Release

West Nile, Hantavirus, Dengue Fever Linked to Earth's Warming

Experts discuss connections between global warming,

WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, Nov. 13 -/E-Wire/-- EMS TELEPHONE PRESS BRIEFING: 12 p.m. EST, Thursday, November 15, 2001

Over the past five years, levels of West Nile, hantavirus, Lyme disease and other infectious diseases have skyrocketed in the United States. And new "surprise" diseases are anticipated for the future. Recent scientific studies reveal that increases in rainfall, extreme drought and other changes in the world's climate may be at least partially to blame.

One week after the conclusion of the final talks on the Kyoto Protocol -- the international agreement to address global warming -- the U.S. continues to sit on the sidelines, failing to address potentially drastic changes to the Earth's climate. A panel of medical experts will brief reporters Thursday on the links between changes in our climate, outbreaks of new diseases affecting human health and the ability of our public health system to handle them.

The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts a 3-degree increase in temperature and a half-meter sea level rise by the end of the century, largely due to human-caused global warming. Mosquito-borne diseases such as encephalitis and malaria, and rodent-borne diseases such as hantavirus, are extremely weather-sensitive. Small changes in temperature and rainfall will have significant impacts on transmission of these diseases.

To participate, please call 1-[REDACTED-PHONE] and give the operator passcode 15061. This call is for news reporters only.

EMS Telephone Press Briefing on health effects of global warming

Thursday, Nov. 15, 2001 at 12 p.m. EST

Paul Epstein, MD, MPH, Harvard Medical School, Center for Health and the Global Environment

Bob Musil, MD, Executive Director, Physicians for Social Responsibility

Jonathan Patz, MD, MPH, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.

For more information about the health effects of climate change, regional and state-specific information on health effects, medical experts to contact and story angles to consider, please go to http://www.ems.org/climate/public_health.html and refer to the links in the right column.

Environmental Media Services

http://http://www.ems.org/climate/public_health.html

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