'Dengue is coming': Climate-fueled rise in cases will affect the US, scientists warn
New research suggests that climate change is currently driving a surge in global dengue infections and that case rates could increase by 60% by 2050.
Nearly 20% of cases of dengue fever, a mosquito-borne viral disease, can be attributed to climate change, a new study suggests. If action isn't taken to mitigate global warming, this figure may rise to 60% by 2050, projections show.
These estimates come from an analysis of approximately 1.5 million dengue infections that happened across 21 countries in Asia and the Americas between 1993 and 2019. The analysis included only nations where the disease is endemic, meaning it regularly circulates in those regions. The researchers considered factors that could affect infection rates, including rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns and shifts in population density. They then used statistical tools to determine that, of these factors, rising temperatures were specifically responsible for 19% of dengue infections.
For years, researchers have discussed theories as to how mosquito-borne diseases may be affected by climate change, Erin Mordecai, study co-author and an associate professor of biology at Stanford University, told Live Science. Mosquitoes are cold-blooded, meaning their internal temperature varies with the environment. The warmer the temperature, the faster mosquitoes will grow and reproduce, which inflates the number of pests that can bite and spread disease.
