Climate change is causing a global dengue surge, with over 4.6 million cases annually. Rising temperatures expand mosquito habitats, increasing dengue cases, especially in Asia and the Americas. India needs proactive strategies for public health protection.
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Climate change-induced higher temperatures are increasing dengue infections in Europe and USA.
Dengue is a viral infection that spreads through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito, endemic to tropical and subtropical regions across the globe.
There is no specific cure for dengue, treatment depends on supportive and focuses on managing the symptoms.
According to the National Centre for Vector Borne Diseases Control (NCVBDC), India recorded 2.3 lakh dengue cases and 297 deaths during 2024.
Climate change is intensifying dengue fever, causing a public health crisis due to increased temperatures, rainfall, and humidity.
Rising Disease Burden: Study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows 4.6 million additional annual dengue cases to warming temperatures across 21 countries in Asia and the Americas (1995–2014).
Global Health Impacts: Beyond dengue, climate change intensifies heat-related illnesses, malnutrition, and respiratory issues due to extreme weather, air pollution, and food insecurity.
Vulnerable Populations: Marginalized communities, especially in the Global South, face disproportionate risks due to limited healthcare access and infrastructure.
Economic Strain: Increased disease incidence strains health systems, and lost productivity.
Faster mosquito lifecycle: Higher temperatures accelerate the mosquito's breeding and maturation process.
Wider geographic range: Warmer weather allows mosquitoes to survive in previously unsuitable areas, spreading dengue to new populations.
Quicker virus development: Increased temperatures shorten the incubation period of the dengue virus inside the mosquito; transmit the disease faster after feeding on an infected person.
Erratic rainfall: Changing rain patterns create more breeding sites. Rain create stagnant pools, while droughts may lead people to store water in containers, providing ideal mosquito habitats.
Historical Impact: From 1995–2014, 18% of dengue cases (4.6 million annually) in 21 countries were linked to climate-driven warming.
Future Projections: Cases could rise by 49–76% by 2050, doubling in cooler regions like Mexico, Peru, and Brazil, home to 260 million people.
Expanding Range: Local cases reported in USA and Europe signal dengue’s spread to non-tropical areas.
Heat-related illnesses: More intense and frequent heatwaves cause heatstroke, dehydration, and cardiovascular issues.
Infectious diseases: Changes in temperature and rainfall patterns promote the spread of vector-borne illnesses like malaria, dengue, and chikungunya.
Air pollution: Worsening air quality from climate change contributes to respiratory and cardiovascular problems.
Malnutrition: Extreme weather events like droughts and floods disrupt agriculture, causing crop failures and food insecurity, increase malnutrition and related health issues.
Mental health: Climate-induced disasters, like floods and cyclones, cause psychological distress, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among survivors.
National Programme on Climate Change and Human Health (NPCCHH): Led by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, to build health system capacity and create awareness of climate-sensitive illnesses.
National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC): Framework outlining eight missions, one of which focuses on human health.
Heat Action Plans (HAPs): Implemented in heat-vulnerable states to provide early warnings and guidelines for managing heat-related illnesses.
National Clean Air Programme (NCAP): Addresses air pollution, a major contributor to climate-sensitive respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP): A framework for managing disaster risks, including the health impacts of extreme weather events like floods.
Other supportive programs: The Swachh Bharat Mission improves sanitation to reduce waterborne diseases exacerbated by climate change, and the National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change (NAFCC) provides finance for adaptation efforts.
Limited real-time surveillance
Insufficient real-time surveillance, especially in rural areas, leads to underestimation of disease burdens, including vector-borne diseases like dengue.
Weak digital integration
Many healthcare facilities still rely on paper records, which hinders the development of a comprehensive, digitized health database for effective monitoring and research.
Resource Constraints
Underfunded health systems (1.97% of GDP on health) struggle to manage rising case loads and climate disasters.
Weak coordination
Fragmented efforts among ministries (e.g., Environment, Health) and between national and state governments create delays in responding to climate-health threats.
Infrastructure deficiencies
Rural and public healthcare facilities lack the capacity and resources to adapt to climate change, including gaps in reliable power backup, water management, and waste disposal, as seen during the 2018 Kerala floods.
Centralized plans, decentralized impacts
National policies often fail to account for the diverse, regional-specific climate-health needs of local communities. Many State Action Plans on Climate Change and Human Health (SAPCCHHs) remain on paper, lacking effective local implementation.
Strengthen Surveillance: Expand Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) with real-time, AI-driven disease tracking.
Increase Health Budget: Raise health spending to 2.5% of GDP (as recommended under the National Health Policy 2017) to fund climate-resilient facilities and vaccine distribution.
Intersectoral Policy Framework: Formalize collaboration and information-sharing protocols between the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC)
Global Cooperation: Leverage BRICS and G20 for climate-health funding and technology transfers (e.g., affordable vaccines).
Reform urban planning: Integrate climate-health risks into urban planning, prioritizing the creation of green infrastructure (urban forests, green roofs) to combat the heat island effect and improving drainage to reduce vector breeding sites.
Climate change poses a severe public health crisis, amplifying diseases like dengue and heat-related illnesses. India must integrate climate and health policies, strengthen surveillance, and invest in resilient infrastructure, to ensure a sustainable and healthy future.
Source: DOWNTOEARTH
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PRACTICE QUESTION Q. Climate change is the greatest health threat of the 21st century. Critically analyze. 150 words |
Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection caused by the dengue virus (DENV), transmitted mainly by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.
High fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain, nausea, vomiting, skin rash, and mild bleeding (like nose or gum bleed).
No direct person-to-person spread. Transmission occurs only through mosquito bites.
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