EFFECT OF GLOBAL WARMING AND CLIMATE CHANGES ON VECTOR BORNE DISEASE, MALARIA IN SOME COASTAL DISTRICTS OF TAMIL NADU, INDIA

Increase global warming and climate changes affect disease transmission by shifting the vector's geographic range and by shortening the pathogen incubation period in the children, the elderly and communities living in poverty. Severe climate sensitive vector-borne diseases are accompanied by increases in the incidence of the disease. The present investigation aimed to investigate regional analysis of malaria in some coastal districts of Tamil Nadu, India. Totally 120 samples were collected from both male and female (age range of 20 to 50 years) of during the period of monsoon (from September 2006 to November 2009) in Thanjavur, Nagapattinam and Cudallore districts of Tamil Nadu, India. Malaria was diagnosed by a thick film and thin film blood smears method. Later on blood smears were stained with 10% Giemsa stain and examined microscopically to identify the Plasmodium species. Malaria has reemerged as a major public health problem in India during the past few years. It out breaks was observed in certain regions of Tamil Nadu. Totally 120 samples were collected from both male and female (age range of 20 to 50 years) of during the period of monsoon (from September 2006 to November 2009) in Thanjavur, Nagapattinam and Cudallore districts of Tamil Nadu, India. 72 malarial infected individuals were identified. Out of 120 samples collected, 72 cases were malarial cases. Malaria is caused by protozoan parasite of the Plasmodium genus (P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale and P. malariae) that develops to maturity inside certain species of mosquitoe, Anopheles stephensi. The samples contain only two species of parasites namely P. falciparum and P. vivax in different stages in the smears of malarial positive cases. Among 72 malarial cases, 42 male and 30 female identified. The maximum number malarial cases were observed in Cudallore than Thanjavur and Nagapattinam districts. Preventive measures like reduction of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and burning of plastics and reforestation directly reduce the global warming which indirectly decreases many mosquito borne infectious diseases, especially malaria