Vector Volume 11 Issue 1 - 2017

Climate Change and Vector-Borne
Disease in Kiribati
[Commentary]
Erica Longhurst
Erica Longhurst is a third year medical student at the University of New South Wales, passionate
about environmental health, and who is a big fan of the great outdoors! Her loves are travelling
and learning about people. She is studying in Griffith NSW this year, on clinical placement with my
uni. She’s also super passionate about everything that’s in this edition of Vector!
In February 2016, I went on a New Colombo
Plan-sponsored climate change research trip
to Kiribati, a nation of low-lying atolls in the
Pacific Ocean. The islands of Kiribati are on
the equator halfway between Australia and
Hawaii. One of the most important things
that I learnt was how being sustainable is
not that difficult at all, and that the people of
Kiribati are absolute professionals at living in
harmony with their environment. We travelled
to Kiribati to research the social, economic
and environmental effects of climate change.
However, this trip also taught us much about
ourselves and the society that we live in,
Australia. It was an opportunity to see how
those who contribute nothing to global pollution
are suffering from the effects of climate
change.
There is a large focus in the international
community on the environmental implications of
climate change. Whilst this is highly significant,
the impact of climate change on the health of
local communities also needs to be brought to
attention. When I think of this impact on local
people, Kiribati is the first place that comes
to mind. Climate change is responsible for
an array of health issues, primarily the rise
in communicable diseases as a result of the
climate change-induced El Nino Southern
Oscillation (ENSO) effect.[1] Vector-borne
diseases such as malaria and dengue fever
are particularly relevant. Increase in average
global temperatures due to raised levels of
greenhouse gases essentially accommodate
these epidemics.[2] Without firstly responding
to the health issues that these populations
face as a result of climate change, many of the
other issues cannot be addressed. In Kiribati,
it is crucial to take measures to avoid future
health consequences such as communicable
diseases, as these people are so susceptible
to the effects of climate change.
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