"Crappy Climate News: More Heat Means More Diarrhea"

"New climate research just plain stinks. As temperatures rises so, too, do cases of diarrhea in many countries.

The findings are serious, potty humor aside: The types of bacteria scientists expect to incite this surge already cause half a million deaths a year, mostly in developing countries that lack access to clean water.

Globally diarrhea diseases account for 1.7 billion cases every year, according to the World Health Organization. These diseases, caused by bacteria like E. coli and Shigella, cause extreme dehydration, starving the body of necessary water and salts. With all causes taken into account—viral infections, bacterias, parasites, food allergies—around 760,000 children aged 5-years-old or younger die every year from it.

The study, published this week by Emory University scientists in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, highlights the interconnected nature of climate change, infectious disease and children's health. Efforts to treat current diarrhea diseases risk being overwhelmed as temperatures rise and spur more illness."

Brian Bienkowski reports for the Daily Climate March 1, 2016.