Climate Change Reshapes India's Infectious Disease Risks

Extreme weather events, typically quantified by visible damage such as collapsed buildings, damaged roads, and flooded homes, also present a less apparent danger: reshaping the ecology of diseases. Heatwaves, droughts, erratic rainfall, and flash floods, whether alone or in combination, influence how long pathogens survive and alter the distribution of disease-carrying insects. This proximity of people, animals, and pathogens elevates the risk of outbreaks in new locations and at unexpected times.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has issued a warning in its latest assessment report, projecting an increase in both heatwaves and extreme rainfall events in the coming years. Further emphasizing this concern, a 2025 study conducted by IPE Global, an international development consultancy, and Esri India, a GIS mapping company, warns that extreme weather could intensify significantly by 2030. Specifically, heatwaves are projected to double in major cities, and extreme rainfall events are expected to rise by 43% across the country within the same timeframe.

Health experts stress the importance of proactively factoring in and preventing climate-related outbreaks, rather than merely reacting to them. The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has reported that the past decade recorded some of the worst floods on record globally. India has also experienced devastating floods, including notable events in Mumbai in 2025 and Kerala in 2018. Surya Prasad, a consultant physician at Manipal Hospital, Bengaluru, explained that "Heavy rainfall and flooding create ideal conditions for the emergence and spread of infections," further noting that "Floodwater overwhelms sewage systems and mixes human and animal waste into water sources, while warmer..."

What to watch: Implementation of preventative measures for climate-related health risks.

Editor's note: The draft effectively summarizes the health risks posed by climate change as described in the source, incorporating specific statistics from the IPE Global and Esri India study.