New Delhi, November 17 (IANS). Amid a record year of dengue infections globally, a new study has found that climate change is responsible for up to 19 percent of the rising cases of dengue.
According to a new study presented at the annual meeting of the ‘American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene’ (ASTMH) in the US, the incidence is likely to increase by another 40-60 percent by 2050 due to climate change. Apart from this, in some areas it may increase by 150-200 percent.
India has also seen an increase in dengue cases this year.
New results from researchers at Stanford and Harvard universities provide the most conclusive evidence yet that climate change is a major cause of the worldwide increase in mosquito-borne disease.
In the Americas alone, approximately 12 million cases are reported in 2024, while the number will be 4.6 million in 2023. Additionally, locally acquired infections have been reported in California and Florida. The study also warns of even greater increases in the future.
“We looked at data on dengue incidence and climate change in 21 countries in Asia and the Americas and found that there is a clear and direct link between rising temperatures and increased infections,” said Erin Mordecai, an infectious disease ecologist at Stanford’s Woods Institute for the Environment. “
Mordecai further said that this is evidence that climate change is already a major threat to human health and, especially for dengue, our data shows that its impact could be even worse.
While some dengue infections cause only mild symptoms. Others cause joint pain (which has earned dengue the nickname “break bone fever”), and in severe cases can lead to bleeding complications.
–IANS
SCH/AS
