WHAT ARE ENVIRONMENTALLY
TRANSMITTED DISEASES?
Environmentally transmitted diseases (ETDs) are illnesses caused by infectious agents or toxins that are
transmitted through the environment.
•Waterborne: Pathogens or contaminants are transmitted through water sources, leading to diseases like cholera
and dysentery.
•Airborne: Disease agents are transmitted through the air, often via respiratory droplets or particulate matter.
Examples include tuberculosis and influenza.
•Vector-borne: Insects or other organisms act as intermediaries, transmitting pathogens between hosts. Malaria,
dengue fever, and Lyme disease are examples.
•Foodborne diseases: These diseases are caused by pathogens that are found in contaminated food. Examples
include salmonellosis, E. coli , and hepatitis A.
VIDEOS
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Country
Number of deaths from ETDs per 100,000
population
India
230.2
Nigeria
190.1
Democratic Republic of the Congo
179.3
Ethiopia
160.1
Pakistan
158.4
Tanzania
156.9
Indonesia
122.1
China
118.8
Brazil
117.8
Bangladesh
116.6
ETDs are responsible for 24% of all
deaths worldwide.
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Children under the age of five are
disproportionately affected by
ETDs, accounting for 70% of all ETD
deaths.
ETDs cause a significant economic
burden, costing an estimated $2.6
trillion annually in lost productivity and
healthcare costs
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
REASONS:
• Climate change
• Warmer temperatures due to industrialization and urbanization
• Travel and trade between regions
• Pollution
• Waste management issues
EXAMPLES:
• In the US , high frequency of diseases like west Nile virus, Lyme disease, and other vector-borne ailments
varies, Lyme DISEASE most common in the northeast, north-central, and pacific coastal regions .
• In the UK , exposure to air pollution can affect respiratory conditions like asthma and chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (copd).
• Dengue fever in southern Europe due to warmer seasons
REASONS:
• Poor waste management
• Poor sanitation
• Overcrowding
• Lack of clean water
• Lack of good healthcare facilities
EXAMPLES
• The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that in India in 2019, diarrheal illnesses caused more than 3,60,000 deaths.
• According to India's National Vector Borne Disease Control Program (NVBDCP), over 5 million cases of malaria are reported annually.
Cases of cholera and typhoid go up annually.
• Bangladesh, Cholera is related to the regional environment but the relationship is stronger during the pre-monsoon period. Between 1
January and 7 August 2023, a total of 69 483 dengue cases including 327 related deaths (case fatality rate = 0.47%) were reported by
the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW).
REASONS:
• Natural geographical position of Pakistan
• Natural topography (mountains, rivers, sea)
• Variety of seasons
• Lack of government control / lack of healthcare facilities
• Rapid urbanization
SITUATION:
Diarrheal diseases and respiratory infections are in the top 10 causes of death in Pakistan.
The first 9 months of 2022, 25,932 cases of dengue were reported ,with 3.4 million suspected cases of malaria.
60% of infant and child deaths in Pakistan caused by diarrheal diseases
Rural areas have high exposure to diseases carried by vectors like ticks causing farmers to catch diseases such as
Crimean-Congo fever
• According to “The management of vector-borne diseases (VBDs) in Pakistan”, the unprecedented outbreak of dengue
highlighted the urgent need of development of long-term planning for sustainable control of VBDs.
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INNOVATIVE SOLUTION
GENETICALLY MODIFIED MOSQUIOTOS (GM)
Mosquitoes spread viruses such as dengue, Zika and chikungunya
GM mosquitoes massed produced in laboratories carrying 2 types of genes:
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A self-limiting gene
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A fluorescent marker gene
When a GM mosquito reproduces, their eggs already carry these genes
Hatched eggs mate with other females
The female offsprings die off and the male ones, carrying the genes, continue to mate and so
PROGRESS:
According to the center for disease control and prevention (CDC) in 2019, over 1 billion GM mosquitos have been released in parts of Brazil, India and
the Cayman Islands
Once released, noticeable number of mosquitos in those areas were returning to the normal average number
There was no risk to humans, animals or the environment due to the release
Best to be used with other mosquito control methods as the GM mosquitos are only able to control the population and spread of their own particular
species, in this case Ae.aegypti mosquito
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
•What do you know about environmentally transmitted
diseases?
•Have you or your family ever caught any of these
diseases? What was your experience?
•How do you think these spread ?
•What measures do you think should be taken to prevent
this ?
•What are some measures that you take to prevent these
?
•Is there anything that the government is doing?
•Do you know that there are now genetically modified
mosquitos , what do you think about those ?
DOCUMENTARY