Climate change contributes to spread of diseases through mosquitoes, says study

A study has revealed that rising temperatures caused by climate change have contributed to a consistent presence of West Nile virus cases in the United states.

The study published in Medical News Today on August 20, which is also World Mosquito Day, focussed on temperature changes in the US and the accompanying spread of West Nile virus between 1900 to 2020.

The study highlighted how some of the key factors that helped spread the virus throughout the country were the extreme temperatures and in some areas, the frequency of droughts.

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Another factor that has seen more significance between 2004 and 2019 has been the temperatures exhibited in the Southwest, and particularly in California. Temperatures in this area have been consistently high and on average have seen low levels of precipitation.

The US Environment Protection Agency has, hence, listed the West Nile virus as an indicator of climate change.

“Multiple factors impact the complex epidemiology of [West Nile virus] besides its transmission and distribution,” Professor Shlomit Paz, a climatologist and climate change specialist and head of the Department of Geography and Environment Studies at the University of Haifa in Israel, wrote. She also noted that weather conditions are some of the top determinants in this equation.

“Generally,” Paz points out, “during the past 50 years, the average temperature across the US has risen, while precipitation has increased by an average of about 5%.”

“Some extreme weather events, such as heat- and cold-waves, intense precipitation events, and regional droughts, have become more frequent and intense,” she added.