With
warming temperatures extending the northward range of tropical
organisms, World Health Organization experts have also been forecasting
the spread of disease such as mosquito-borne dengue fever, saying that
some 2.5 billion people are currently at risk.
This severely
painful disease is characterized by high fever, headaches and muscle and
joint pains, and can be fatal. There is currently no vaccination or
effective treatment that offers a cure.
In the Philippines, the
Department of Health has reported a 48% increase in dengue cases this
year, which now total nearly 41,000, with 328 fatalities. Cases now
exceed 35,000 in Sri Lanka, and the government has warned that the
entire population could become affected.
In Thailand, 45,000
people have been diagnosed, with 43 fatalities, leading the government
to recommend that youth avoid black leggings, stating the mosquitoes
carrying dengue are more attracted to dark clothing. The incidence in
Yemen is currently so high that it is being called an epidemic, with the
disease having spread to 100,000 people, causing over 200 deaths.
And
with some 60,000 confirmed illnesses on the small French Caribbean
islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe, the epidemic there now affects
around 4000 persons per week on each island.
Meanwhile,
scientists such as Dr. Franco G. Teves in the Philippines are evaluating
whether the actual life cycle of the dengue-carrying mosquito is
changing as temperatures continue to rise.
He stated, "We are
trying to substantiate whether temperature increase hastens the
completion of the mosquito’s life cycle, leading to a … population
explosion."
Our appreciation, Dr. Teves, World Health
Organization and scientists around the world for these findings that
raise the alert to the accelerating risk of dengue fever.
We are
deeply saddened to know of the suffering endured by so many and pray
that everyone quickly joins in planet-cooling actions to reverse climate
change and protect all lives.
Supreme Master Ching Hai has
often reminded of acting preventively to address the imbalances of
global warming, as in the following March 2009 videoconference in
California, USA.
Supreme Master Ching Hai: How can we take measures to protect , not from rising sea levels, but also all the similar consequences of global warming. See.
When the sea level rises, there will be more mosquitoes and diseases.
Being
vegan is our top priority because this provides the most immediate
cooling through actions that can be taken by individuals because we are a
big group on the planet, you see. Carbon removal is also good and acts
fairly quickly, but being veg is something that every single person in
the world can do and immediately
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20100816-287167/Dengue-cases-48-higher-than-09DOHhttp://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp.NewsID=35620&Cr=Mosquito&Cr1= http://www.france24.com/en/20100809-thailand-issues-health-warning-black-leggings