Climate Change and Health - Vibrio

Figure 6.1

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Juli Trtanj

This figure appears in chapter 6 of the The Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States: A Scientific Assessment report.

This conceptual diagram for an example of infection by Vibrio species (V. vulnificus, V. parahaemolyticus, or V. alginolyticus) illustrates the key pathways by which humans are exposed to health threats from climate drivers. These climate drivers create more favorable growing conditions for these naturally occurring pathogens in coastal environments through their effects on coastal salinity, turbidity (water clarity), or plankton abundance and composition. Longer seasons for growth and expanding geographic range of occurrence increase the risk of exposure to Vibrio, which can result in various potential health outcomes (center boxes). These exposure pathways exist within the context of other factors that positively or negatively influence health outcomes (gray side boxes). Key factors that influence vulnerability for individuals are shown in the right box and include social determinants of health and behavioral choices. Key factors that influence vulnerability at larger scales, such as natural and built environments, governance and management, and institutions, are shown in the left box. All of these influencing factors can affect an individual’s or a community’s vulnerability through changes in exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity and may also be affected by climate change. See Ch. 1: Introduction for more information.

Free to use with credit to the original figure source.

This figure was created on March 16, 2015.

The spatial range for this figure is N/A° to N/A° latitude, and N/A° to N/A° longitude.