PHA-Exchange> 30 In preparation of PHA2

[Claudio]

 ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR AN UPSURGE OF NEW INFECTIOUS
DISEASES

> Loss of forests, road and dam building, the spread of cities, the clearing
of natural habitats for
> agriculture, mining and the pollution of coastal waters are promoting
conditions under which well
> known pathogens such as malaria, meningitis, and dengue fever can thrive.
>
> In addition, diseases that have in the past infected animals are now
crossing over to humans. For
> instance, scientists report that the highly pathogenic Nipah virus, which
until recently was found
> only in Asian fruit bats, first moved to swine, and has now spread to
humans.
>
> A combination of forest fires in Sumatra and the clearance of natural
forests in Malaysia for palm
> plantations drove hungry fruit bats into closer contact to domestic pigs,
giving the virus a chance
> to spread to humans as people handled the infected swine.
>
> Climate change may aggravate the threats of infectious diseases in three
ways, the experts write -
> by increasing the temperatures under which many diseases and their
carriers flourish, by further
> stressing and altering habitats, and by increasing the number of
environmental refugees who are
> carrying their infections to new locations.
>
> These are among the findings from UNEP in its latest "Global Environment
Outlook Year Book 2004/2005."
> The "GEO Year Book" also links yellow fever, Kyasanur Forest disease and
Ebola with deforestation
> and its effects.
>
> Land use change, in the form of agriculture, is linked with the rise and
spread of diseases like
> Western and Venezuelan equine encephalitis and typhus.
> Tuberculosis, bubonic plague and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome are linked
with unplanned urbanization.
> Chemicals and antibiotics in farm animal wastes are helping to make
disease-causing bacteria more
> resistant to drugs with implications for infections such as hepatitis and
some diarrheal diseases.
>
> Meanwhile, air pollution from transport and factories is linked with
increased incidence of
> respiratory infections. Pollution of coastal waters from raw untreated
sewage is a key factor in  cholera outbreaks worldwide.

> The Governing Council is placing emphasis on the UN's Millenium
Development Goals during this week's
> meeting. In September, nations will gather in New York for a meeting of
the UN General Assembly to
> evaluate progress towards achieving the eight Millennium Development
Goals.
> http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/

Women in decisionmaking roles are needed both at high and
> grassroots levels, and women are crucial in the mainstreaming of
environmental issues in rural
> areas.
> By the year 2015, all 191 United Nations members have agreed to meet the
goals to reduce hunger and
> thirst, improve childrens' health and eduction, promote gender equality,
improve maternal health,
> combat AIDS, malaria and other diseases, reverse the loss of environmental
resources, and develop
> global economic opportunities.

> The 2003 UNEP Governing Council decided to hold an international chemicals
conference around the end
> of 2005, and two preparatory meetings to set up that conference were held
last year.
>
> Meanwhile, a proposal to ban thin plastic shopping bags in Kenya and slap
a hefty price on thicker
> ones was floated in a report released today at the Governing Council.
> Cash raised from the levy would go towards the setting up efficient
recycling systems, says the
> report funded by UNEP and the National Environment Management Authority of
Kenya.
>
> At least two million plastic bags are now being handed out each year to
people shopping at
> supermarkets and kiosks in Nairobi alone.
>
> The bags, many of which are so thin they are simply thrown away after one
trip from the shops, have
> become a familiar eyesore in both urban and countryside areas. They block
gutters and drains, choke
> farm animals and marine wildlife and pollute the soil as they gradually
break down.
>
> Wangari Mathaai, the assistant environment minister in Kenya and 2004
Nobel Peace Prize winner, has
> linked plastic bag litter with malaria. The bags, when discarded, can fill
with rainwater offering
> ideal and new breeding grounds for the malaria-carrying mosquitoes.
>
> A ban on bags less than 30 microns thick and the levy on thicker ones are
among a raft of proposals
> aimed at reducing the use of polythene bags and
>
> Operating the plastic bag levy could become a blueprint for similar
schemes aimed at stemming the
> rising tide of other wastes confronting Kenya and countries across Africa
and the developing world.
>
> The "Global Environment Outlook Year Book 2004/2005" can be found at >
http://www.unep.org/gc/gc23/other_publications.asp.
> The UNEP Governing Council website can be found at: www.unep.org/gc/gc23/
[UNEP's 2004 Global Environment Outlook report can be accessed at:
http://www.unep.org/geo/yearbook/]
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/feb2005/2005-02-23-03.asp