Bianca Bartz
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 Here’s a scary fact: the damage we’re doing to our planet might literally bite us in the butt! As global warming increases, so does the Leishmaniasis bacteria, a form of flesh-eating disease. The potentially fatal illness is spread by tropical sand flies, and as our planet heats up, the ideal breeding grounds for these critters increases. It’s already beginning to migrate to northern Europe, and unless the climate change crisis is brought under control, nothing will stop these guys. Through human ignorance, we are literally causing our own destruction.  Because of travel and tourism, nations already affected by the disease are on the rise. Military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan are exposed to conditions ripe for developing Leishmaniasis.
Global warming and the military presence in countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan mean that this horrific and debilitating disease is affecting more people than ever before," says Dr. Ross Boyle, lead researcher on the project at the University of Hull. "My co-investigator, Dr. Tim Paget at the Medway School of Pharmacy, Hull PhD student Carrie-Anne Bristow and myself wanted to work towards finding a significantly better treatment.”
Leishmaniasis currently affects 12 million people around the world, with 350 million people at risk of infection and a further 2 million new cases popping up each year.
(treehugger)References: treehugger Comment: on Global Warming Increases Flesh Eating Disease |
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