Under the Weather: Climate, Ecosystems, and Infectious Disease - Hardcover

National Research Council; Division On Earth And Life Studies; Board On Atmospheric Sciences And Climate; Committee On Climate, Ecosystems, Infectious Disease, And Human Health

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0309072786 ISBN 13: 9780309072786

Publisher: National Academies Press, 2001

Synopsis

Since the dawn of medical science, people have recognized connections between a change in the weather and the appearance of epidemic disease. With today's technology, some hope that it will be possible to build models for predicting the emergence and spread of many infectious diseases based on climate and weather forecasts. However, separating the effects of climate from other effects presents a tremendous scientific challenge.

Can we use climate and weather forecasts to predict infectious disease outbreaks? Can the field of public health advance from "surveillance and response" to "prediction and prevention?" And perhaps the most important question of all: Can we predict how global warming will affect the emergence and transmission of infectious disease agents around the world?

Under the Weather evaluates our current understanding of the linkages among climate, ecosystems, and infectious disease; it then goes a step further and outlines the research needed to improve our understanding of these linkages. The book also examines the potential for using climate forecasts and ecological observations to help predict infectious disease outbreaks, identifies the necessary components for an epidemic early warning system, and reviews lessons learned from the use of climate forecasts in other realms of human activity.

Table of Contents

• Front Matter
• Executive Summary
• Introduction
• Climate and Infectious Diseases: The Past as Prologue
• Linkages Between Climate, Ecosystems, and Infectious Diseases
• Climate Influences on Specific Diseases
• Analytical Approaches for Studying Climate/Disease Linkages
• Temporal and Spatial Scaling: An Ecological Perspective
• Towards the Development of Disease Early Warning Systems
• Key Findings and Recommendations
• Acronyms/Abbreviations
• Glossary
• References
• Appendix A: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members
• Appendix B: Speakers/Presentations at the Committee eetings
• Index

About this title

About the Author

Committee on Climate, Ecosystems, Infectious Diseases, and Human Health, Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, National Research Council

Edition details

• Publisher: National Academies Press
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0309072786
• ISBN 13: 9780309072786
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 146