Doctors in both Canada and the United States have both, coincidently, issued warnings that Global climate change could have serious health effects.

“When we think about climate change, we typically think about how it will affect our environment, but we need to start thinking about how it affects our health too,” Ontario College of Family Physicians President, Dr. Renee Arnold told the Toronto Star.

“The negative health effects of climate change are profound, and will be irreversible if we don’t get our act together now and stop damaging our environment.”

The American Public Health Association raised similar concerns about climate change last week and said its effects on the public could be one of the top challenges facing the health community.

An example is the two week heat wave that crippled France in 2003. Over 15 thousand people died as the unrelenting heat consumed the country.

The reports warn that vacationing tourists visiting the Caribbean could have increased opportunities to contract malaria or dengue fever. The underlining concern is that the health community is not prepared to deal with newer infections and respond to them quickly.

Other concerns include Lyme disease, which can cause chronic arthritis and severe neurological conditions, and West Nile virus which could result in meningitis or encephalitis.