Climate factors, including maximum and minimum temperatures, annual and seasonal rainfalls and salinity concentration, are likely to unleash various diseases like diarrhoea, skin problems and kala-azar in Bangladesh, according to a study.
The study says waterborne diseases will remain a major public health concern in the country with changes in climate factors.
Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS) and National Institute of Preventive and Social Medicine (NIPSOM) recently conducted the study titled 'Climate Change and Health Impacts in Bangladesh' with support from the Climate Change Cell under the Environment and Forests Ministry.
In addition to climate variability, the study found changes in the trend of climate factors, particularly yearly maximum and minimum temperatures over the last three decades.
The study was conducted in three different climate zones representing drought-prone Rajshahi, flood-prone Manikganj and salinity-affected Satkhira districts.
It said a number of vectors and waterborne diseases, including diarrhoea, dysentery, skin diseases, are common in Bangladesh. In addition, mental disorders, malaria, dengue, and malnutrition problems affect many people of the country.
The study said climate factors are associated with malnutrition problems. Incidence of diarrhoea was found to have positive correlation with total annual rainfall in Rajshahi and Satkhira districts. Total monsoon rainfall was also found to have positively correlated with diarrhoea in the two districts.
In contrast, dry season rainfall was found to have positive correlation with Manikganj study area.
A positive correlation implies that the incidence of diarrhoea increases as the variation of temperatures also increases. A negative correlation means decrease in the incidence of diarrhoea when temperature differential rises, the study says.
Skin diseases and malnutrition were also found to be positively correlated with temperature differential in both Rajshahi and Satkhira, while these were negatively correlated in Manikganj study area.
The negative correlation of diarrhea and skin diseases with temperature variation in Manikganj might have happened due to non-climatic factors as well as improved health services.
The study also shows that the climate factors of Satkhira are sensitive to diarrhoea, skin diseases and malnutrition as each of these was found to have positively correlated with at least one of the climate variables.
Besides, skin diseases and malnutrition are more or less highly correlated (positive) with all three climate variables -- rainfall, temperature and salinity. Skin diseases were observed to be positively correlated with annual rainfall, annual average minimum temperature and salinity concentration.
The analysis of the primary data from survey on 300 households reveals that variations in temperatures is considered to be the main cause for most of the diseases (diarrhoea, fever, malnutrition) by the highest percentage of the respondents.
Rainfall variation comes next as the main cause of such diseases and is followed by hazards and disorders. It said the percentage of respondents having clear understanding on climate change was not very satisfactory.
According to respondents of the study areas, they were not aware about any particular coping strategy/project/programme to deal with health impacts due to climate change.
Against the backdrop of the climate change, the study suggested providing training to health professionals to deal with climate sensitive diseases, aware local community on climate changes and its impacts on public health, improve water supply and sanitation and protection of water resources.