Ecological disasters and health: pleiad of wide magnitude and low perception

Abstract

Disasters are high-impact events with distinct origins and determined in time and space. In recent years, disasters have increased in frequency and intensity due to climate change, deforestation, urbanization, population density, irregular land use, among other factors, resulting in deaths and financial losses. Environmental disasters integrate and accumulate different classes of disasters, which increases the complexity of their management. Ecological disasters feedback and magnify environmental disasters and can lead to disruption of the capacity to maintain vital biological cycles, the collapse of environmental services with severe implications for the physiological stress of individuals and communities, not just humans, and the loss of biodiversity. The potential of ecological disasters to provoke threats of incalculable magnitude and unpredictable, such as pandemics, increase the vulnerability of the poorest countries, populations, and people. Treating the emergence of zoonoses as a consequence of ecological disasters would make it possible to strengthen the integration between technological tools, such as the Wildlife Health Information System – SISS-Geo (Fiocruz), disaster management actions and health surveillance with monitoring of biodiversity. Furthermore, joint, integrated, and participatory actions are opportune to advance the perception and awareness of the risk of these emergencies in society, companies and, especially, in governments.

Keywords: Zoonoses. Disease emergence. Ecological collapse. Pathogens. Biodiversity.