Global warming and insect-borne disease
Scientists report that as temperatures continue to rise, insect-borne diseases will become more common in areas previously immune. Climate change also affects bird migration and breeding patterns which may increase virus movement.
Read a roundup of the headlines:
“Northern countries are at risk of outbreaks of dengue, Zika and chikungunya as climate change increases the range of the mosquitoes that carry these illnesses, according to the World Health Organization.
As climate disasters occur with greater frequency, experts are concerned that insect-borne diseases will become more common, including in regions of the world where they’re not currently a threat.”
Bloomberg, WHO Warns Europe at Risk of Dengue, Zika Summer Outbreaks
“Health experts are particularly concerned about the role of climate change in the rise of vector-borne diseases in Africa’s low- and middle-income countries, which already face numerous health and socioeconomic disparities.
“It is crucial to acknowledge the gravity of the situation that we are facing today, especially around climate change, as it is no longer only an environmental concern, but it has evolved into a significant public health crisis with far-reaching implications for communities worldwide,” said Edward Miano, executive director of the Health Rights Advocacy Forum (HERAF).
He noted that climate change is worsening disease patterns, and diseases are emerging in areas where they did not exist before. A good example is that previously in Kenya’s highland regions, such as parts of the Rift Valley and Kericho county, malaria was not prevalent. But the disease has returned in recent years, a development that some experts say is linked to subtle changes in the region’s climate.”
Mongabay, African health experts warn of climate change & rising vector-borne diseases
“For the past few years, warnings about the dangers of biting insects in spring have raised alarm bells in increasingly northerly regions. Over and above the irritation they cause, hematophagous insects and ticks represent a considerable health risk: in certain conditions, they are capable of hosting and transmitting viruses, parasites and bacteria, becoming disease "vectors."
Some "vector-borne" diseases are already a familiar problem in Europe, like Lyme disease, caused by ticks. Yet most such diseases – malaria, dengue, Zika, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever and yellow fever, for example – may seem like a distant threat. But they are closer than we might care to think: insect vectors are taking advantage of human mobility, rising temperatures and habitat change to widen their range, automatically increasing the risk associated with vector-borne diseases.
As summer and the 2024 Games approach, particular attention is being paid to disease vectors such as mosquitoes, ticks and biting flies.”
Institu Pasteur, Vector-borne diseases: Mosquitoes, ticks, biting flies... how far will they go?
“On Thursday, September 5, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced one additional case each of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) and West Nile virus (WNV) in Middlesex County, for a total of three confirmed EEE cases, and seven confirmed WNV cases, in the Commonwealth this year. As a result, nearly two dozen communities in Middlesex and Worcester counties are now at an elevated risk for EEE, and several more counties throughout the state are at a moderate risk for WNV.
The cases are a stark sign of the health consequences of climate change, in which a warming climate, along with more frequent and extreme weather events, have created the perfect breeding conditions for mosquitos to thrive and spread a variety of vector-borne diseases.”
Boston University, School of Public Health, EEE and West Nile Virus: Understanding the Increase in Mosquito-borne Diseases
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