‘A large amount of human suffering’
Historically, some diseases were geographically confined, naturally confined to places where the weather was suitable for spread. Mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue fever are a good example; because they multiply only in areas where temperature and precipitation are beneficial to the growth of the mosquito population and the development of the disease itself.
However, as the Earth warms due to air pollution, more and more of the world meets these conditions, and dengue fever is already becoming a more common problem, according to a new study covered by the Stanford Report. clarified.
What’s going on?
The study was conducted by researchers at Stanford, Harvard, Arizona State University and the National Bureau of Economic Research. It was published in September in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Researchers examined how much the Earth’s rising temperature will increase dengue cases in the future and how much they are already increasing.
“The effects of temperature were much larger than I expected,” said lead author Marissa Childs, an assistant professor of environmental health at the University of Washington. Stanford Report. “Even small changes in temperature can have a big impact on the transmission of dengue fever, and we are already seeing the fingerprints of climate warming.”
So exactly how big was this fingerprint? After examining 1.4 million cases of the disease in 21 countries, researchers determined that climate change is responsible for an additional 4.6 million infections each year; this represents an 18% increase in the incidence of the disease. By 2050, this rate may increase from 49 percent to 76 percent.
Why is this result important?
Dengue fever, also called “bone fever,” is a painful and potentially serious disease. In severe cases, it can cause debilitating pain and lead to death. according to World Health OrganizationThose who have had this disease more than once have a higher risk of experiencing a serious case. And as the world warms, more and more people who have never been exposed to this disease are now at risk; This is a fact that already has a death toll.
“This is not just a hypothetical change that will happen in the future, but also the huge amount of human suffering that has already been experienced due to a warming-induced dengue outbreak.” in question According to the Stanford Report, senior author Erin Mordecai, professor of biology at the Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences. “Climate change doesn’t just affect the weather; it has cascading consequences on human health, including fueling disease transmission through mosquitoes.”
What is being done about dengue fever transmission?
Recent research on vaccines has yielded results that promise to reduce the spread of dengue fever worldwide. Some local governments are also trying to directly control mosquito populations to stop the spread of the disease.
But the only long-term solution to the broader problem of diseases spreading more quickly in hot weather is to lower the Earth’s temperature by reducing air pollution.
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