Monitoring Desk
DAVOS, SWITZERLAND: There has been a huge surge in malaria and tuberculosis cases in Pakistan amongst the poorest populations of the country due to recent catastrophic floods.
These revelations were made during the World Economic Forum (WEF), the world’s biggest health fund, annual meeting in Davos by the executive director of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Peter Sands on Monday. Climate change is increasing malaria infections, said Peter Sands and added that the malaria infections followed by recent floods in Pakistan and cyclones in Mozambique in 2021 are increasing.
According to Reuters, Peter said the rise in extreme weather events and the resulting large pools of stagnant water attract mosquitoes, leaving poorer populations vulnerable.
Malaria, tuberculosis infections increasing
Peter also said that climate change was changing the geography of mosquitoes. The highlands in Ethiopia and Kenya are now succumbing to malaria because of the shift in the low temperatures that once made the place unsustainable for mosquitoes.
Peter runs the world’s largest global fund, which invests in fighting tuberculosis, malaria, and AIDS in some of the poorest nations in the global. He said that the fund, which set the target of increasing $18 billion, has raised $15.7 billion, the most significant amount of money ever increased in world health. Part of the shortfall was a billion-dollar hit from currency fluctuations that affected donations.
Peter said the climate is just one of the factors that could hamper efforts to eradicate these diseases. Ukraine war led to a worsening of AIDS and tuberculosis. In middle-income countries such as Pakistan, India, and Indonesia, tuberculosis cases amongst the poorest populations are also increasing. With fears of a world recession increasing, Peter said those nations would come under increased pressure.
