The link between drought and disease

Gina Charnley, a research postgraduate in the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at Imperial College London, looks at the ways that drought brings disease.

- Gina Charnley

Countries in the Horn of Africa have been hit by a multiyear drought. Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Uganda are expected to continue to receive below-average rainfall in 2023. Excluding Uganda, 36,4 million people are affected and 21,7 million are in need of food assistance.

Climate-change projections show changes in temperature and rainfall extremes, especially without emissions reductions. Some parts of Africa are projected to become wetter and others drier.

Prolonged dry spells, particularly in semiarid and arid regions, may have serious effects, particularly if people aren’t prepared for them.

Droughts can have wide-ranging implications for the affected population. The decreased availability of water, often accompanied by high temperatures, can increase the risk of contamination, cause dehydration, and result in an inability to wash and maintain hygiene practices.

Droughts can also have an impact on nonresistant crops and livestock, causing malnutrition and food insecurity. The economic implications of agricultural losses can go on to affect mental health, gender-based violence, and poverty.

The changes to the environment and human behaviour caused by drought can also lead to higher exposure to diseasecausing organisms. It can increase the risk of infections and disease outbreaks.

Diseases that are spread through food, water, insects and other animals can all break out during times of drought and often overlap.

Understanding and managing the known risk factors for these outbreaks, and how drought can exacerbate them, are important in preventing mortalities as a result of infectious disease during drought.

FOODBORNE DISEASES