Climate change-related migration and infectious disease
Celia McMichael – Virulence, 2015
Climate change is an emerging force affecting human migration. But the impacts on of this kind of migration on human health and infectious disease patterns remains relatively unknown.
Research has shown that both international and national migration changes the transmission dynamics of infectious diseases, but dependent on these migration pathways, it can either increase or decrease the risk of contagion. Unwittingly, migrants might be exposed to infectious disease in the host country due to a lack of knowledge or experience. People’s ability to plan and manage a successful migration is defined by their economic, social, and human capital. People travel great and small distances in order to relocate to countries with better living conditions and access to social security, health services, and clean environments – compared with their countries of origin. Many so called ’irregular’ migrants, however, comes from countries with limited resources and capacity to move internationally. These poorer migrants often end up in poor areas in their host countries, which in turn may have adverse effects on their health and wellbeing.
As the author of this paper points out, migration as a climate adaptation measure has the potential to reduce vulnerability but in order to have a successful outcome, it is critical to respond to health impacts for migrants and host populations.
Water being distributed to displaced people taking refuge at the Makli Graveyard, one of the largest necropolises in the world, and a UNESCO heritage site. With a diameter of approximately 8 kilometers, Makli Hill is supposed to be the burial place of some 125,000 Sufi saints. It is located on the outskirts of Thatta.
Image credit: Asian Development Bank (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) from Flickr.com
Chanelle Andrén is a volunteer UK Climate Change and Migration Coalition and writes the weekly round up of new research on climate change, migration and displacement. Her background is in International Human Rights Law with specialisation in ‘Just Transitions’.
