Climate change a threat to national security

[Tonka]

http://www.milenio.com/node/583341

Spanish to English translation

Climate change a threat to national security

Has strengthened H1N1 viral diseases, dengue and influenza season.
Cases of WNV, yellow fever and cholera, eradicated in Mexico.

Buzz up! Vote nowLun, 22/11/2010 - 4:59

The head of the Ministry of Health. Photo: M?nica Gonz?lez Mexico .- Global warming is becoming a national security issue, because it has unleashed the H1N1 pandemic, seasonal influenza advanced, strengthened the mosquito transmitter of dengue, as well as diseases such as reactivation cholera, yellow fever and West Nile Virus (WNV), eradicated in Mexico, said Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova Villalobos.

"Aside from dengue and malaria are resurgent, at levels that have been controlled and low mortality rates, rare cases of WNV in the northern country, which have not spread, the risk that it could return or be cases of fever there is always yellow. It is a disease that is spread by vector (mosquito) and in Mexico we have not seen for many years, but does exist in South America and Africa, "he said in an interview.

The West Nile Virus is a disease transmitted by mosquitoes, causing encephalitis (brain inflammation), occurs in Africa and Asia, although there are cases in the United States and some isolated in northern Mexico and Chihuahua, Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon and Coahuila, therefore, the epidemiological alert was activated.

On climate change, said C?rdova Villalobos, food in our country are broken down faster, due to heavy rains and corruption in some municipalities, it has proved difficult to maintain proper chlorination of water, which "represents a threat because it can trigger anger, which is so close, due to the case in Haiti and that begins to be covered on other parts of the world.

"We are ensuring the quality of drinking water, beaches and overall we are very vigilant in detecting, among people who present with diarrhea, if the cholera vibrio is circulating and make health fences," he added.

Currently, dengue has spread to 28 states, including shopping and tourist areas, with the exception of Mexico City, Baja California, Chihuahua and Tlaxcala.

"In some ways also the problem of influenza, which also favors the development of different germs, traveled to warmer times: the emergence of the peaks occurred after September, when they usually happen until November," he said.

- Keys

Sanitary

? Cordova Villalobos said that the National Institute of Health is allocating an area to climate change and the Energy Department is proceeding more than 65 percent in the proposal to use technologies to reduce greenhouse gases and.

? The Ministry of Health produced the Atlas of health risk, which includes all the problems caused by climate change, which have seen a rapid increase from 2000.

? In 2009, the SSA used 60 million more than the 180 pesos allocated to tackle the dengue cases due to increased infections, and in 2010 there was a reduction of almost 50 percent of cases.
Blanca Valadez

[Tonka]

Re: Climate change a threat to national security

http://www.radioformula.com.mx/notas.asp?Idn=144894

Spanish to English translation

Mexico collaborates in health risk due to climate change: SSA. With Oscar M Beteta
December 8, 2010
Weather risks represent costs in addition to vector-borne diseases, and evidence of this have been submitted to the World Health Organization (WHO) for this problem to convince decision makers said Secretary Jose Angel Cordova


-------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------

Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova Villalobos found that although some say that climate change is an invention, this is not true and the proof is that in the last ten years has quadrupled the weather, which has increased the number of loss of lives, resources and health risks.

He explained in an interview with Oscar Mario Beteta, which represent expenses weather risk, in addition to vector-borne diseases and the evidence of this have been submitted to the World Health Organization (WHO) to convince this problem makers decisions.

He said that in coordination with WHO promotes awareness of evidence of health damage that causes climate change and some means will be presented at COP 16.

Hoped that this evidence convincing work as a force for decision-makers put in place the necessary measures to reverse the effects of climate change.

C?rdova said the government was taking precautionary measures to prevent cholera from spreading, to it, he said, is being tested in different areas of probable risk.

Influenza A (H1N1) in Mexico, said this has become a virus that circulates in a steady 10 to 15 percent, but due to its change now would be the type A (H1N3).

In that sense said that if the population is subjected to vaccination against this virus can protect themselves and prevent this disease.

Referring to the bird flu said there is no pandemic because the virus has not been able to recombine and to allow male-male transmission.

He reiterated that Mexico is working with the COP16 in preparing an atlas of health risk, this is to have scientific evidence to prove the diseases caused by climate change and strengthening surveillance systems to detect possible disease course.

ME