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“IRELAND IS BASKING in a heatwave,” proclaimed a headline in The Journal in June 2018.
By September, Met Éireann had confirmed that the summer of 2018 was one of the hottest on record.
But as the country once again experiences high temperatures this weekend, scientists have bad news for us.
The hot conditions in Ireland in the summer of 2018 caused at least 169 extra cases of bacterial gastroenteritis, stomach bugs which cause vomiting and diarrhoea, a new study has found.
The majority of the infections are believed to have been foodborne, although outdoor activities such as swimming and contact with farm animals are also known risk factors.
These infections can be very severe in children under 5 and in older adults.
Lead researcher Paul Hynds, of TU Dublin, explained that hotter temperatures mean more growth and greater survival of bacteria on food.
The other culprit? The barbecues gathering dust in garden sheds across the country until hot weather strikes. Barbecuing and eating outdoors increases the likelihood of meats being improperly stored or cooked.
“At the end of the day, it’s a bit of a perfect storm,” Hynds said. “The Irish are not necessarily expert barbecue cooks, and [barbecuing] occurs during a time when microbial growth and survival are elevated.”
The study identified infection hot spots in the Dublin area, with the researchers suggesting this may have been due to increased exposure to weather-related activities, such as outdoor swimming and barbecues. Dubliners may also have lower levels of acquired immunity to these pathogens than rural residents.
The researchers said other possible factors contributing to infection could include irrigation of vegetables with contaminated water, or meat processing and transportation methods that were not appropriate for heatwave conditions.
The study is important because research on the health impacts of heatwaves in temperate regions such as Ireland is still in its infancy.
It demonstrates that heatwaves can increase transmission of these pathogens to humans.
With an extreme summer such as 2018′s expected to occur every two out of three years in Europe in a 1.5 degree-warmer world, a rise in gastroenteritis infections can be expected in the future.
The study found 101 of the extra infections were caused by the pathogen campylobacter, with men, younger adults and people living in urban areas most affected. A further 68 infections were caused by STEC, another type of bacteria, with older people and those in rural areas most affected.
These are the two stomach bugs that cause the most disease globally. Scaled up to Europe as a whole, the Irish findings represent several thousand extra cases, putting significant extra pressure on healthcare systems.
The research, published in the journal One Health, was based on national data on laboratory-confirmed infections.
In Ireland, disease outbreaks are often preceded by heavy rainfall, causing surface run-off of pathogens to private drinking water sources. This study shows that the incidence of infection is also influenced by periods of heatwave and drought.
Scientists are currently working on more research on the human health effects of extreme weather in Ireland. These include effects on mental health and wellbeing, for a variety of reasons, including lost sleep; the effects on people with respiratory conditions such as asthma; and the effects on older people’s health.
Last year was the first year of global warming above the important 1.5 degree threshold. The Paris Agreement committed countries to strive to avoid 1.5-degree warming as a long-term average.
The research team behind the study included scientists from the HSE, the Health Information and Quality Authority and University College Cork. The study was funded by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Unsure of what exactly is happening with the earth’s climate? Check out our FactCheck Knowledge Bank for essential reads and guides to finding good information online.
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