Conservation International’s Post

Today, globalization and climate change are amplifying the threat of mosquito-borne diseases worldwide. U.S. health experts stress the need for proactive measures with an emphasis on education and a renewed focus on insect surveillance. #PublicHealth #mosquitocontrol #globalhealth

The latest article describing how climate change is "expanding the reach" of insect-borne disease details Las Vegas' exploding mosquito population and calls it a "case study of what's to come." #CODX has developed a vector control PCR platform equipment that makes it possible for onsite, real-time interrogation of mosquito samples, dramatically reducing turnaround times so that abatement districts can act quickly. #mosquitos #mosquitoabatement https://lnkd.in/dNASFJ3H

Vector-borne diseases are caused by pathogens that have been transmitted from an infected animal to a human by a vector (a living organism, like a tick or mosquito). Vector-borne diseases account for more than 17% of all infectious diseases and cause more than 700,000 deaths annually. If you are interested in understanding more about how climate change can increase the risk of vector borne diseases and importantly, what can be done to reduce these risks, then read more..... https://lnkd.in/ecD2mscU

Almost daily headlines about the spread of rare, potentially deadly insect-borne diseases like eastern equine encephalitis and Oropouche fever highlight the expanding threat that mosquitoes, ticks, and other bugs present. Why it matters: Longer, hotter, summers, milder winters, and changes in land use and travel are giving insects more time and space to spread diseases or compound the misery in places where they already exist. Global warming is "changing where mosquitoes and ticks live, and thus what diseases are moving around in different regions," CDC director Mandy Cohen said Wednesday. Driving the news: The death of a New Hampshire resident from eastern equine encephalitis, or EEE, brought home the threat. The CDC has also warned this summer about an increased risk of dengue fever, which is spread by the same type of mosquitoes that carry the Zika virus and chikungunya. West Nile Virus — which was recently blamed for the hospitalization of former NIAID director Anthony Fauci — has become a perennial threat throughout much of the continental U.S. Malaria, a parasite spread by another species of mosquito, is also on the rise around the world, and several cases were reported in the U.S. last year, though the risk of catching it here remains low. https://lnkd.in/ebsnBigX #ClimateChange #PublicHealth #VectorBorneDiseases #MosquitoAwareness #TickPrevention #GlobalWarmingImpact #HealthAndEnvironment #SustainabilityMatters #DiseasePrevention #EcoHealth

The impacts of climate change on the spread and range of infectious diseases are already being felt. Leading the way are vector-borne diseases, such as those spread by #mosquitoes and #ticks including #zika #westnilevirus and #Powassan, which doubled between 2004 and 2018. #vectorborne #infectiousdiseases #climatechange #hiddensignals https://lnkd.in/eZppDF8q

Last but most definitely not least in our first #ClimateHealthHeroes series... meet Dr Houriiyah Tegally and Dr Moritz Kraemer! 🤝 This partnership, from Stellenbosch University and University of Oxford, is looking at human migrations as a result of climate change. 👣 🌍 Slow, gradual changes to our climate are prompting people to migrate. Hotter temperatures can threaten farming, sea-level rise can make floods more severe, and extreme heat can foster conflict over water access, all of which can lead to migration. 🐜 Tegally and Kraemer are exploring this impact, as well as the secondary impact of migration on arboviral disease transmission. 🏥 Arboviral diseases are infections caused by a group of viruses spread to people by insects such as mosquitoes and ticks - so Malaria is a well-known example. 🔎 The team will explore how climate change is contributing to the risk of arbovirus epidemics and explore the impact of migration and urbanisation on pathogen transmission. Find out more: https://bit.ly/47fDkly #ClimateChange #MedicalResearch #Malaria #Disease #Migration

How climate change affects vector-borne diseases As climate change alters temperatures and weather patterns around the world, the risk of vector-borne diseases like malaria, dengue fever and Zika virus will increase. Here’s what that means for global health and what can be done to limit the damage. What is a vector-borne disease? Vector-borne diseases are caused by pathogens that have been transmitted from an infected animal to a human by a vector (a living organism, like a tick or mosquito). Vector-borne diseases account for more than 17% of all infectious diseases and cause more than 700,000 deaths annually.  How is climate change increasing the risk of vector-borne diseases? Virtually all vector-borne diseases have a climate dimension. The pathogens, vectors and hosts associated with vector-borne diseases are highly responsive to the environments they inhabit. This means that changes in temperature and precipitation as a result of climate change can have significant impacts on the spread of vector-borne diseases. There are three key ways climate change affects vector-borne diseases:  1. More places will become suitable for vectors. Warmer temperatures can increase the geographic spread of where vectors – like mosquitoes and ticks – can survive and breed. Increased rainfall can increase the amount of standing water, creating more breeding areas for many vectors. And droughts can support breeding by forming pools of standing water from previously flowing water. 2. Warmer climates extend the disease transmission season. Climate change is improving the climatic and environmental conditions for the transmission of many diseases. This may also lead to an increase in the duration of disease transmission seasons. 3. Temperature change can affect the behaviour of vectors. For example, increased temperatures change the biting behaviour of mosquitoes, reducing the effectiveness of barriers such as bed nets.  However, it can be challenging to attribute these impacts to climate change, as other factors are also at play. For example, changes in land-use, control measures and human movement can also influence the distribution of vectors and spread of disease.

*Climate Change & Zoonoses* Climate change has caused temperature changes in various geographical regions, meaning that areas previously free from certain diseases now see rises in infection prevalence. Furthermore, climate change is causing people’s general health to deteriorate, making it easier for zoonotic infection to spread as seen with the Zika and dengue viruses, which are now global threats. Climate change and rising temperatures lead to the spread of zoonotic hosts and vectors, increasing the human population that is exposed to vector-borne diseases. Rising temperatures further stimulate the rate of reproduction of both pathogens and vectors. Foodborne infections also proliferate with increasing temperatures.Heavy rainfalls generate additional potential breeding sites for vectors such as mosquitoes. Dense vegetation created after rainfalls provides shelter and resting sites for vectors. (Courtesy Acta Tropica) #ClimateChange #Zoonoses #TemperatureChange #Infection #Zika #Dengue #Hosts #Vectors #VectorBorneDiseases #Pathogens #FoodborneDiseases #WaterBorneDiseases #HeavyRainfalls #BreedingSites #Mosquitoes

Climate change is one factor linked to growing threat of vector-borne diseases. Vectors such as mosquitoes and ticks spread diseases like Lyme Disease and West Nile Virus among others. Land-grant Universities in the Northeast have research and Extension missions, and these are working cooperatively on multiple fronts to address the growing problem of vector-borne diseases. ▶️ https://lnkd.in/e2inuZ49