The impact of drought on food and nutrition will be felt by the most vulnerable, including infants, small children and pregnant women and those who already live on or below the poverty line.
Large numbers of people across the continent live as subsistence farmers, and in the absence of food or water we are likely to see increased migration and humanitarian crises.Crop failure and drought, combined with increased food costs associated with disruptions to global food resources, will affect every one of us.Drought and water shortages add to these risk factors.
In addition, dependence on poor quality and contaminated water has an impact on household and personal hygiene, and intestinal infections. Vibrio cholerae— the bacteria that cause cholera—is present in waterways in both high and lower income countries, and infection can be mild. But increased concentrations of the bacteria without rapid intervention to prevent severe dehydration can be lethal. The sharp increase in cholera and otherOther viral and bacterial infectious diseases, especially prevalent in Africa, are also likely to increase with global warming.