Study connects climate hazards to 58% of infectious diseases

By SETH BORENSTEIN
AP Science Writer

A new study finds climate hazards aggravate more than half of the known diseases that infect people. The study published Monday shows how widespread the influence of extreme weather such as flooding, heat waves and drought is in sickening people. The study looked at 10 types of extreme weather connected to climate change then mapped their paths to sick people. In some cases, heavy rains sickened people through disease-carrying mosquitos, rats and deer, and warming oceans and heat waves tainted food sources. The study didn’t do the calculations to formally attribute the diseases to climate change. But several scientists call it a terrifying illustration of climate change’s effect on human health.