In Asia, thousands of people are battling an outbreak of conjunctivitis in the middle of the rainy season

Rising temperatures, heat waves and rainfall are having devastating impacts across the planet, including an increase in plague, vectors such as dengue-carrying mosquitoes, agricultural losses and house destruction.

These climatic conditions have triggered epidemics of viral conjunctivitis in areas such as Vietnam, India and Pakistan. The spread of the disease has increased in recent months, and health officials in some countries are working to contain the highly contagious pathogen that thrives in high-humidity conditions.

Drastic measures were taken to curb the spread of the virus, such as the closure of tens of thousands of schools in September. In the Indian state of Punjab, health authorities reported 13,000 new cases of conjunctivitis in a single day, with the city recording more than 86,000 cases throughout the month. Punjab’s interim chief minister Mohsin Naqvi claimed there were at least five or six affected students in each school class.

Similarly, the number of people affected in Pakistan has also increased, with nearly 400,000 people affected nationwide. Meanwhile, in Vietnam, authorities reported more than 63,000 cases of viral conjunctivitis from January to September, an increase of more than 15% compared to the same period last year.

Importantly, while conjunctivitis can be caused by bacteria or viruses, the viral form is particularly contagious. Some viruses can survive on surfaces for up to 30 days and are easily spread through simple eye contact with contaminated hands.

“Many different types of viruses can cause viral conjunctivitis, including the COVID-19 virus,” explains Isabelle Jalbert, an optometrist and vision scientist at the University of New South Wales in Australia. “However, most (up to 75%) cases of infectious conjunctivitis is caused by an adenovirus. “It appears that the outbreak in Pakistan involves a highly contagious virus. “

There is nothing we can do to prevent the spread of the virus other than washing our hands frequently and disinfecting surfaces.

Recurrent episodes of conjunctivitis usually affect one or both eyes and present with symptoms such as redness, eye pain, eyelid swelling, blurred vision, photophobia, and watery discharge. There is currently no cure, and patients must wait about two weeks or more for their immune systems to fight off the virus. During this period, they must stay at home to prevent wider spread within the community.

Conjunctivitis has recurring epidemics around the world, often following seasonal cycles. Future outbreaks may be affected by climate change, as evidenced by an outbreak of conjunctivitis in India in 2022, which coincided with monsoon rains. Experts have written to the Indian Journal of Ophthalmology urging people to raise awareness about the disease and provide telemedicine services to rural and remote communities.

“It is important to remember that the lack of action by governments, health authorities and lack of awareness by the public during outbreaks of ‘preventable’ conjunctivitis not only affects the health of patients and their caregivers, but also leads to socio-economic risks and hinders the quest for universal health coverage ,” the author concluded.