Fast Facts—Climate Change Impacts on Health in West Virginia

● Average temperatures are increasing, along with the frequency of extreme heat events, severe storms, drier summers, and unhealthy air days.

● Climate change temperatures are projected to rise 60 F (30C) by late century.

● West Virginia residents will face greater health risks from extreme heat, declining air quality, floods, waterborne illnesses, drought, and infectious diseases. http://www.nrdc.org/health/climate/wv.asp

● West Virginia does not have a plan to prepare for the health impacts of climate change. http://www.nrdc.org/health/climate/wv.asp

● 46 WV counties has ragweed pollution and at least 6 of those counties also have unhealthy smog levels.

● An estimated 127,000 people live in the 2 counties where average summertime temperatures set records in 2010.

● 18 counties report having a type of mosquito that can transmit dengue fever (as of 2005).

● 7 cases of West Nile virus were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) between 1999-2010.

● 682 cases of Lyme disease were reported to the CDC between 1990-2008.

● Extreme rainfall has increased 40% in the last 60 years, causing severe flooding. The state has some of the highest fatality numbers from floods in the country.

● The state has been declared a disaster area 4 times since 2000, due to severe storms and massive flooding.

● Since 2000, there have been:

Record-breaking rainfall in 9 counties and 11 broken rainfall records.
Record-breaking heat in 11 counties and 12 broken heat records.
Record-breaking snow in 3 counties and 3 broken snowfall records.

Sources:

U.S. Global Change Research Program. Global Climate Change Impacts in the U.S. Region: Northeast, 2009.
National Wildlife Federation. Global Warming and West Virginia. 2009.
Natural Resources Defense Council. Sneezing and Wheezing, 2007.
Natural Resources Defense Council. The Worst Summer Ever? 2010.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. West Nile virus Statistics, Surveillance, and Control Archive.
Lyme Disease Association. Total Lyme Cases Reported by CDC 1990-2008. Data compiled from CDC pub data (MMWR), 2009.
Ashley, S. T., and W. S. Ashley. 2008. Flood fatalities in the United States. Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology 47:805 -- 818.
Federal Emergency Management Agency. DHS. Declared Disasters by Year or State, 2011.