The Increase and Spread of Mosquito Borne Diseases Deidre Evans
Mosquito Borne Diseases A rise in temperature is one on of the most common factors contributing to the increase of mosquito borne diseases.
Notes for Slide 2 Scientists and medical professionals are concerned with how climate change will affect the mosquito population and how it will give rise to a variety of dangerous infectious diseases. Many mosquito borne diseases are sensitive to climate conditions because mosquito s live in warmer regions and tend to breed faster with higher temperatures. Global warming will increase the risk of Mosquito borne infectious diseases throughout the world, currently they exist mainly in tropical and sub tropic climates. Global warming will increase temperatures globally, This means areas that were once free of mosquito borne diseases will now how an increased risk of encountering them because of ther warmer temperatures. Diseases like dengue fever that are prevalent in warm climates will invade other countries as they warm due to global warming. Sources The Dangerous Link between Mosquitoes and Global Warming. Retrieved Feb 20, 2009. from All Mosquito Netting Info Web site:http://www.mosquito-netting.com/2006-05-mosquito-borne-diseases.html
Dengue Fever
Notes for Slide 4 Dengue Fever is caused by a group of four potentially fatal mosquito borne viruses Aedes aegypti, is a domestic, day feeding mosquito that prefers to feed on humans and. The mosquito acquires the viruses from feeding on infected persons and then transmits it to other humans. Aedes mosquitoes are the carriers of the 4 viruses that cause dengue fever. Dengue is mainly a disease of the tropics, 2.5 billion people are currently at risk of contracting dengue fever and it affects about 50 million people a year. Dengue causes fever, vomiting, muscle pain, and disintegration of blood vessels leading to heavy bleeding. Depending upon the strain, one s immune system and age, dengue fever can have serious risks and can be fatal The 2007 IPPC report labeled dengue fever as the worlds most important vector-borne viral disease Imgae: flickr.com/photos/9073053@n08/1359938976/ Sources Henson,R.(2008). The Rough Guide to Climate Change. New York: Rough Guides Ltd Dengue Fever. Retrieved Feb 20, 2009. from All Mosquito Netting Info Web site: http://www.mosquito-netting.com/dengue-fever.html
Global Warming The Spread of Dengue Fever http://www.mosquito-netting.com/dengue-fever.html
Notes for Slide 6 The gray areas are parts of the world that are currently infested with the mosquitoes that spread dengue fever. The black areas are parts of the world that are infested and have outbreaks of dengue fever Currently the spread of Aedes mosquitoes is limited because of winter freezing temperatures. Cold temperatures kill off the larvae and eggs. Which keeps the transmission of dengue fever in tropical and subtropical regions. Global warming would increase the range of Aedes mosquitoes spreading dengue fever transmission to many of the white areas on the map because the carriers range will expand. Global Warming would also shorten the amount of time the virus must spend incubating inside the mosquito because the incubation time is shortened at higher temperatures. Shortening the incubation time by five days can mean a potential three-fold higher transmission rate of disease. One study estimates that a 1.8 degree Fahrenheit increase in the average global temperature could raise the number of people at risk of dengue fever by 47% Although temperature increase due to the global warming is the main factor for the spread of dengue fever the prevalence of droughts could be a cofactor. During droughts individuals may hoard water supplies in places where mosquitoes like to breed An increase in temperature will have detrimental affects on human health globally, the spread of dengue fever through mosquito borne disease is just one example. Sources The Science Daily.(1998).Global Warming would foster spread of Dengue Fever into some temperate regions. Retrieved Feb 20, 2009. from Science Daily Web site:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/03/980310081157.htm) Henson,R.(2008). The Rough Guide to Climate Change. New York: Rough Guides Ltd