Food and water contamination
Storms and flooding may contaminate food and drinking water, which may lead to illnesses such as diarrhoeal and intestinal diseases.
Water and food-borne illnesses also increase when food is not refrigerated. Extreme heat events may cause Torontonians to use their air conditioners more, which may cause power outages. There are many things that can be done to ensure food safety during a power failure.
Infectious diseases from insects, ticks and rodents
Climate changes can increase infectious diseases passed on by insects, ticks and rodents in three ways, by increasing the:
amount of insect carriers (rodents, etc.);
length of transmission cycles (i.e. longer spring); and
the immigration of insect carriers to new regions.