Climate crisis could expose half a billion more to mosquito-borne diseases

Rising temperatures worldwide could put an extra half a billion people at risk mosquito-borne diseases such as chikungunya, dengue, yellow fever and zika by 2050, according to a new study.

A growing number of recent research warns of human origin A climate crisis will cause "environmental degradation" around the world, according to a study published Thursday in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases focuses specifically on a public health threat: how a warmer world will allow disease-carrying mosquitoes to reach a larger number of people.

The study's lead author, Sadie Ryan of the University of Florida, along with researchers from Georgetown University, Stanford University and Virginia Tech, examined the possible impact the expected temperature increase for 2050 and 2080 on the global distribution of the yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti) and the tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus).

The team estimates that currently, about six billion people are exposed for a month or more a year to climates conducive to disease transmission by these mosquitoes. As temperatures rise, colder regions such as parts of Canada and northern Europe will become more mosquito-friendly at the expense of the human population.

"Clearly, climate change is going to kill a lot of people," co-author Colin Carlson of Georgetown told Nexus Media News. "Mosquito-borne diseases will be an important factor, especially when they spread from the tropics to temperate countries."

Lead author Ryan highlighted that public health experts should prepare now for planned epidemics in new places in the coming decades. As the study explains:

AedesThe spread of virus-transmitted virus in areas where there was no previous exposure is of particular concern, given the potential for explosive outbreaks during the first introduction of arbovirus into populations naive, like chikungunya and zika in the Americas. The emergence of a Zika pandemic in the old world, the installation of chikungunya in Europe beyond small epidemics or the introduction of dengue fever where a particular serotype has not been discovered recently is a concern major for the preparation for health in the world.

"These diseases, which we consider strictly tropical, are already manifesting in areas with appropriate climates," Ryan noted, "because humans are very good at moving both insects and their pathogens around the world."

For example, she said Link"We saw dengue fever in Hawaii and Florida, and then we saw Zika arrive in Florida and really get the attention of the public."

While the study echoes Carlson stressed the limits of their research, especially because of the speed with which the planet was already warming up.

"We have only managed to grasp the uncertain future of two mosquitoes that spread a handful of diseases – and there are at least a dozen vectors for which we need this information," he said. "It's very disturbing to think about the potential increase in these diseases, but it's even more worrisome not to have a clue about that future. We have many decades of work to do over the next two years if we are to be ready. "

Although their findings suggest a dark future, Carlson was also optimistic about the potential for broader public health reforms.

"Dealing with something as mbadive as climate change gives us an opportunity to rethink health disparities around the world and work for a future where fewer people die from preventable diseases like those in the world." "he concluded. "Coping with climate change and dealing with the burden of neglected tropical diseases goes hand in hand."