Climate change

Diseases love climate change

Climate change could cause more food-borne disease outbreaks that threaten our food chain. Samantha Tennent reports.

FOOD safety is being threatened by climate change directly and indirectly putting public health at risk from foodborne diseases, experts say.

Primarily, it happens with increases in extreme events, increases in air and water temperatures and changes to rain frequency and intensity.

World Health Organisation nutrition and food safety technical officer Carmen Savelli recently spoke about climate change and food-borne diseases at the digital World Veterinary Congress.

“It’s estimated 600 million people are getting sick from unsafe food each year.

“Which translates to one in 10 people getting sick and 420,000 of those people die.

“This could increase with the effects of climate change,” Savelli says. There are many complex systems related to climate change that will affect foodborne diseases including the growth range and survival of pathogens and other micro-organisms in the food chain that could have an impact on crops, livestock and the environment.

The increases in water temperature can lead to increased rates of bacterial growth in water and with sediments already present convert mercury into methylmercury, which then accumulates in the food chain and gets into fish. Methylmercury is highly toxic and can lead to a range of health problems.

Higher water temperatures also correlate to an increase in the frequency and extent of algal blooms. The rapid growth of algae can harm animals, people and ecology. Toxins released by algal bloom can accumulate in fish and shellfish and if humans ingest even a small amount of contaminated seafood they can experience serious health problems.

Another water-related problem is the increase in rain and flooding, which can move pathogens through the environment and contaminate crops and livestock facilities.

“When animal and plant agriculture are in relative proximity it’s not hard to

Change can increase events such as floods, which can move pathogens through the environment and contaminate food sources like crops, which in turn contaminate livestock.

imagine how increased precipitation leading to flooding can lead to contamination of irrigation water, for example.

“On the flip side, during droughts contaminated dirt blowing into the fields as dust particles is also a possibility.”

Another indirect way climate change can cause food-borne disease is through increased activity, range, expansion and reproduction rates of wildlife carrying diseases, which can change contamination patterns and lead to foodborne disease.

“Produce like lettuce or strawberries or other fruits or vegetables are generally grown in rural areas. Wildlife, such as deer, which are known carriers of human pathogens like E coli, readily intrude on crops and can be responsible for contamination and illness events.” Savelli says.

“Fortunately, mitigating the healthrelated impacts of climate change is both possible and necessary. Globally, health authorities in collaboration with their partners, agriculture, environment and other relevant sectors, will need to be able to prevent, detect and manage the increased food-borne risks that are going

Climate change will provide several ways food-borne diseases can spread more easily, World Health Organisation food safety technical officer Carmen Savelli says.

to be associated with climate change.

“They will need to do so in a way that advances health equity and ensures that no one is left behind.”

There needs to be improvement in monitoring and surveillance of foodborne diseases and enhancement of emergency preparedness response and capacity-building to better be able to prevent and manage the threat from increased food-borne risks that are going to be associated with climate change.

“Climate change is a global problem and it is going to take a global effort to overcome the challenges we are facing. There will need to be better information sharing.” n

Post-graduate Lincoln University students studying applied science and various agricultural degrees will have their fees waived next semester to help make study more accessible.

Free study for post-grads

TONY BENNY

LINCOLN University has moved to make postgraduate study more accessible by waiving fees on some courses, saying its doing its bit to meet increased demand for qualified workers in the food and fibre sector.

The university says post covid-19 the sector is even more important than it already was and the demand for skilled staff is growing, particularly as other countries recognise the success of New Zealand in protecting its citizens with science-based responses to the new virus.

“That admiration is translating into a trade advantage for our primary sector exporters,” Bio-Protection Research Centre deputy-director Professor Stephen Goldson and Agribusiness and Economics Research Unit director Dr Caroline Saunders said.

The fee waivers will apply to master’s degrees taught in areas such as agricultural systems, pest management, accounting and food innovation as well as graduate and postgraduate certificates and diplomas in applied science, environmental management and commerce, all offered from semester two in July.

The move applies to domestic students for courses ranging from one to three semesters and includes online options. With average fees for one semesterlong graduate certificate course starting at $3150, the fees waiver represents a significant saving.

The university expects the courses to support students’ personal development as well as providing them with the skills to be in demand by employers, particularly in the food and fibre sector.

Lincoln has a long association with the sector, doing research and training workready graduates. More than 350,000 New Zealanders are employed in the sector, which contributes more than $46.4 billion in export revenue and 11% of GDP.

Goldson and Saunders say we must protect our unique trade advantage.

“With such a strong international reputation, however, we also have never had so much to lose if we fail to protect our borders from all forms of pests, not just the covid-19 virus. And for that, we need an outstanding biosecurity system that detects any potential biosecurity threats before they get in.

“The science to achieve this is increasingly more challenging due to climate change and changing trade patterns.

“To maintain our reputation for quality food and beverages we need to be able manage biosecurity threats in ways that are safe and sustainable.”

To get the fee waiver potential students need to apply for the programme they want to pursue and if they’re accepted the waiver will be applied automatically. It will last to the end of 2021. n