Impact of Climate Change on Prevalence of Waterborne Vibrio sp. in Fisherfolk Health of the Indian Sundarbans

Sundarbans, a region in West Bengal (India) and Bangladesh, is home to 188 fishing coastal villages and 76,981 fisherperson families (fisherfolk). The region is also a diarrhea-endemic zone, with yearly high incidences, primarily during the monsoons and summer, affecting nearly 380,138 fisherpersons. The Global Climate Risk Report shows that climate change has short-term and long-term impacts on the physicochemical parameters of waterbodies and vibrios growth due to alterations in salinity, temperature, pH, DO etc. 12 Vibrio sp. (out of 20) cause zoonotic infection in humans and are found in free form in estuarine and coastal water bodies or associated with fish and shellfish. Fisherpersons’ health and livelihood are at the highest risk, being first in human contact with pathogenic Vibrio species, including Vibrio cholerae, V. vulnificus, and V. parahaemolyticus, which are associated with coastal flooding and the invasion of seawater deeper inland. These vibrios invade as opportunistic pathogens directly or are transmitted through zoonotic transmission from fish and shellfish to fisherpersons, resulting in massive gastrointestinal infections, including gastric ulcer, vibriosis, and septicemia. Sunderbans is the largest coastline for capture and culture fisheries in India, and Climate change, rising salinity, and temperature fluctuations are significantly impacting aquatic environments, and the prevalence of water-borne diseases (mainly gastrointestinal) among fisherpersons. Collaborative and interdisciplinary working strategies based on surveillance and early warning systems related to outbreaks are needed to monitor climate-sensitive waterborne diseases for understanding and addressing these complex health issues. The Sundarbans, being highly vulnerable to climate change impacts like sea level rise and cyclones, underscore the need for focused research and adaptive management to protect fisherfolk's health and livelihoods. More study is required to estimate the long-term effects of climate change on the economic sustainability of aquaculture, disease susceptibility, and antibiotic resistance arising due to microbial dysbiosis and the quality of life of Sundarban’s fisherpersons.