Evidence of Gastroenteritis Outbreaks and Climate Change

Running head: WHAT EVIDENCE ARE THEE THAT GASTROENTIRITIS OUTBREAK IS
ASSOCIATED WITH CLIMATE CHANGE/ WEATHER PATTERNS
WHAT EVIDENCES ARE THERE THAT GASTROENTERITIS OUTBREAK IS
ASSOCIATED WITH CLIMATE CHANGE/ WEATHER PATTERNS
Systematic Review Literature
Student Name: MAKINDE OLUWAMAYOWA
Public Health Practice (7707 MED)
Course Supervisor: Dr. Megan Young

1
WHAT ARE THE EVIDENCES THAT GASTROENTERITIS OUTBREAK ARE
ASSOCIATED WITH CLIMATE CHANGE/WEATHER PATTERN
Abstract
The systematic review literature has been focused on obtaining evidence to whether
Gastroenteritis outbreaks are associated with weather patterns/climate change. The objective of
this research is to establish the association between climate change and its effect on
gastroenteritis by reviewing the current literature available and finding evidence from them. The
methodology used for this project in systemic literature review using the databases such as
CINAHL, COCHRANE, PubMed and MEDLINE using the keywords Gastroenteritis and
Climate Change, weather changes. The studies chosen for the project are published from January
2004 to December 2018. On the basis of relevance to the research question the articles were
reviewed and duplicates and unrelated articles were omitted from the project. The research
project objective was to find the evidence to impact of weather variability on the incidence of
gastroenteritis. What will be the effect of Extreme weather events such as Quasi-Biennial
Oscillation, El Nino, La Nina, and local level meteorological changes such as droughts, floods on
the spread of viral gastroenteritis.

2
WHAT ARE THE EVIDENCES THAT GASTROENTERITIS OUTBREAK ARE
ASSOCIATED WITH CLIMATE CHANGE/WEATHER PATTERN
Table of Contents
Abstract............................................................................................................................................1
Background......................................................................................................................................3
Prevalence of gastroenteritis........................................................................................................3
Causes of climate change.............................................................................................................4
Relation between climate change and gastroenteritis..................................................................5
Relation in between climate change and distribution of pathogens............................................6
Rationale..........................................................................................................................................8
Aim..................................................................................................................................................8
Objectives........................................................................................................................................8
Methods...........................................................................................................................................9
The required resources.....................................................................................................................9
Results..............................................................................................................................................9
Discussion........................................................................................................................................9
Research significance....................................................................................................................15
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................16
References......................................................................................................................................17

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WHAT ARE THE EVIDENCES THAT GASTROENTERITIS OUTBREAK ARE
ASSOCIATED WITH CLIMATE CHANGE/WEATHER PATTERN

4
WHAT ARE THE EVIDENCES THAT GASTROENTERITIS OUTBREAK ARE
ASSOCIATED WITH CLIMATE CHANGE/WEATHER PATTERN
Background
The infectious gastroenteritis is one of the present health issues worldwide and the
primary symptom of this disease, diarrhoea lead to the death of almost 3 million people and
cause diseases to almost 1 million people throughout the world. In the different industrialised
countries the death rates are very high in comparison to the birth rates mainly because of the
occurrences of intestinal problems. Recently due to changes in the global climate, scientists have
become very interested in doing researches on the relation between the changes in the climate
and different climatic factors and the occurrence of the gastrointestinal problems. It has been
found that the gastrointestinal diseases are very much related with the changes in the sudden
climatic conditions and weather patterns. Gastroenteritis is the inflammation of the stomach and
the large and small intestines which means gastroenteritis means the inflammation of the whole
gastrointestinal tract (Cronk, Slaymaker & Bartram, 2015). It also known as infectious diarrhea
and usually called Stomach Flu, but it has no relation to Influenza. Diarrhea, abdominal pain,
lack of energy, fever, and vomiting are the main symptoms associated with gastroenteritis.
(Cronk, Slaymaker & Bartram, 2015). The occurrence of gastroenteritis due to the changes in
the weather patterns can be decreased if the human activities against the environment decreases.
Prevalence of gastroenteritis
Infectious gastroenteritis is a common illness in developed and developing as well as
underdeveloped countries. In United States, gastroenteritis is responsible for 3.7 million hospital
visits and 135,000 to 220,000 paediatric visits, and gastroenteritis also contributes to the deaths
of 150 to 300 children of below 5 years within a few period of time (Singh, A., Fleurat, M.,

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WHAT ARE THE EVIDENCES THAT GASTROENTERITIS OUTBREAK ARE
ASSOCIATED WITH CLIMATE CHANGE/WEATHER PATTERN
Kwon, K. T., & Whiteman, P., 2010). In Australia gastroenteritis infection is prevalent and
affects an estimated 17 million people per annum (Harley et al.,2011).
The main causes of gastroenteritis are the infections cause by some viruses and bacteria
and rather than by the infection caused by the parasitic infections. The main viruses which cause
this disease are Novovirus and Rotavirus (Helms, A Richard, 2006). Among the bacteria the
main causative agents are Escherichia coli, Campylobacter and Salmonella are the primary
causes of gastroenteritis (Webber, Roger., 2009). Alone in the United States it is estimated that
one million Campylobacter gastroenteritis cases were recorded every year (Scallan et al.,2011).
Salmonella is also one of the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis throughout the world. In the
United States, salmonellosis is responsible for 1.4 million cases of gastroenteritis including
15,000 hospitalizations and 400 deaths each year. (Callaway et al., 2008).
Causes of climate change
Climate change or Weather Change is the long-term shifts in climate patterns. Due to
increase in population, human activities against the nature and for the natural products are
increasing. Increasing human population is consuming the natural products in such a way that it
is leading to the changes in the climate. The massive rate of deforestation is increasing the
atmospheric temperature of the Earth and thus climate change is occurring ultimately. Due to the
changes in the climate humans and animals are suffering a lot as the changes in climate is
affecting the health conditions of animals. The death rate has increased much more than it was
few years before. Variations in the climatic conditions play a major part in deciding the
behaviour patterns and activities of human beings and other organisms (Viboud et al., 2004) and
hence climate change patterns may influence patterns of disease transmission (Kuhn et al., 2005).