Mosquito Menace: Exploring the Impact of Climate Change on Mosquito-Borne Diseases

Diving into the intricate nexus of climate change, disease dynamics, and the global battle against mosquito-borne illnesses, our blog sheds light on groundbreaking research. From the alarming projections of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to the intricate interplay of environmental factors in Brazil, we explore the evolving landscape of mosquito-related diseases.

This Blog Shall Help You Navigate The Global Mosaic Of Mosquito-Borne Threats

Research teams across the world have studied data on how reducing global warming could save millions of people from mosquito-borne diseases.

One recent study, led by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), predicted that more than eight billion people could be at risk of malaria and dengue by 2080. The research found that global temperature rises could lengthen annual transmission seasons by more than a month for malaria and four months for dengue over the next 50 years. These were based on projections of population growth of roughly 4.5 billion over the same period, and a rise in temperature of 3.7C by 2100.

A Nature Reviews paper further reports how increased global connectivity presents unique risk factors for infectious disease spread, allowing pathogens (a microorganism that can cause disease) to travel further and faster than ever before.

However, researchers in Brazil reported other environmental and socioeconomic factors, such as housing development and population growth complicate predictions of climate change on future disease distribution patterns. Their research, published in The Lancet Planetary Health, looked at the association between rainfall patterns and dengue risk, with a notable difference in rural and urban areas. The authors wrote: “The effects of hydrometeorological events on dengue transmission depend on the local social and ecological conditions that determine the types of larval habitat available in the environment, and household water supply and storage practices.

Researchers have also examined how climate change has affected the disease-carrying capacity of mosquitoes. A review paper in The Lancet assessed the influence of temperature and rainfall, overlaying it with human population density data to estimate the reproductive number. Their findings show that the R0 for all arboviral (infections caused by a group of viruses spread by infected arthropods such as mosquitoes and ticks) diseases tracked has increased since 1950-54. The number of infections transmitted by Aedes aegypti was 13% higher and for those spread by Aedes albopictus 7%.

There is a need to use all the tools in the box to combat the growing threat of mosquito-borne diseases. This means governments and communities mobilising to control mosquito populations, strengthening disease surveillance and outbreak response, good clinical management, and rapidly scaling up the delivery of effective interventions like Wolbachia and new dengue vaccines when available.

The urgent need for effective and sustainable strategies to control mosquito-borne disease is reflected in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) launch of a Global Arbovirus Initiative on 31 March 2022. The initiative will focus resources on risk monitoring, pandemic prevention, preparedness, detection and response.

Dr. Mike Ryan, head of the WHO Emergency Programme, said: “There is an urgent need to re-evaluate the tools at hand and how these can be used across diseases to ensure an efficient response, evidence-based practice, equipped and trained personnel and engagement of communities.”

Many of the methods used to combat mosquito-borne diseases - including both conventional approaches like insecticide spraying and novel techniques such as the release of sterile male mosquitoes - focus on the suppression of mosquito populations, and need to be reapplied regularly to keep mosquito numbers in check. Wolbachia, unlike other measures, is safe for people, mosquitoes, and the environment.

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It is hence essential to not only get rid of these harmful pests at home but also a dire need to eradicate them forever. Ultima Search, a professional pest control management service and product provider is on a mission to reduce this mosquito menace.

Here are some lesser-known general mosquito facts for your better understanding.