Juan Carlos Jaramillo
MD, Chief Medical Officer, Valneva &
Vice President, Vaccines Europe
As climate change continues to affect the planet, its impact on our health is an increasing concern. Rising temperatures are fuelling the spread of mosquito-borne diseases, posing an expanding global health threat.
Climate change presents far-reaching consequences on weather patterns, sea levels and temperatures. Beyond the impact on our physical environment, climate change is also a fundamental threat to human health.1 This is exemplified by its impact on the rising prevalence of mosquito-borne diseases.
Spread of mosquito-borne diseases
Mosquito-borne diseases are infections transmitted to humans through the bite of a mosquito carrying a virus or parasite.2 Just two species — Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes — account for the transmission of some of the world’s most common mosquito born diseases.3
Mosquito-borne diseases infect
almost 1 in 10 people each year.5
Typically confined to tropical and subtropical regions like sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia, these disease-carrying mosquitoes have expanded their geographical territories as a result of rising global temperatures and increased rainfall.3 In fact, previously unaffected areas, such as Southern Europe and the United Kingdom, are also facing an increased risk of these diseases.4
Uncovering the escalating risk
Data from 2018 shows that mosquito-borne diseases infect almost 1 in 10 people each year.5 If current climate change trends persist, projections suggest that as many as 8.4 billion people could be at risk of contracting these diseases by the year 2100.6
According to the World Health Organization, regions with weak health infrastructure will struggle to respond to the impact of climate change without assistance.1 Infectious disease rates are currently underreported,7 underscoring the need for governments worldwide to address the key health risks associated with climate change.
References:
[1] World Health Organization (2023). Climate Change. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/climate-change-and-health.
[2] World Mosquito Program. Mosquito-borne diseases. Available at: https://www.worldmosquitoprogram.org/en/learn/mosquito-borne-diseases
[3] World Mosquito Program. Explainer: How climate change is amplifying mosquito-borne diseases. Available at: https://www.worldmosquitoprogram.org/en/news-stories/stories/explainer-how-climate-change-amplifying-mosquito-borne-diseases
[4] APHA Science Blog. Johnson, N (2023). What is all the buzz about mosquitoes? Available at: https://aphascience.blog.gov.uk/2023/08/20/world-mosquito-day-2023/
[5] Qureshi, A. (2018). Chapter 2 – Mosquito-Borne Diseases. Academic Press. pp.27–45.
[6] World Economic Forum (2023). As climate change boosts mosquito-borne diseases, we must take action to stop their spread. Available at: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/01/health-risk-climate-change-demands-collective-action-davos23/
[7] National Library of Medicine (2022) infectious disease underreporting is predicted by country-level preparedness, politics, and pathogen severity. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10818036/d-mosquito-day-2023/
[5] Qureshi, A. (2018). Chapter 2 – Mosquito-Borne Diseases. Academic Press. pp.27–45.
[6] World Economic Forum (2023). As climate change boosts mosquito-borne diseases, we must take action to stop their spread. Available at: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/01/health-risk-climate-change-demands-collective-action-davos23/
[7] National Library of Medicine (2022) infectious disease underreporting is predicted by country-level preparedness, politics, and pathogen severity. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10818036/
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