Impact of Climate Change on Vector-Borne Diseases and Other Infections

Mitigation and key take home messages.

It should be apparent that many areas of the world, including Europe, are at risk of VBD epidemics as a result of climate change. Methods for avoiding or ameliorating these effects can be grouped in three broad categories: Environmental, Societal, and Technological.

Aside from the obvious mitigation by a global reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, a number of other environmental aspects can be considered of importance:

Ø Land management to prevent favourable conditions for the establishment of vector species in the aftermath of extreme weather events, e.g. avoidance of the formation of bodies of lying water to prevent mosquito breeding as a result of flooding/increased precipitation.

Ø Minimising encroachment on or destruction of wild reservoir host habitats by human activities.

Ø Avoidance of contacts between wild migratory reservoir host species and humans or domestic animals.

Ø Surveillance of domestic animal reservoir host species for the presence of VBDs.

Societal VBD control methods:

Ø Implementation of VBD surveillance in areas at risk.

Ø Enhancement of public awareness of VBD threats:

Ø Education programmes in schools and colleges.

Ø Public information campaigns in conventional and social media.

Ø Real-time VBD information by mobile personal health apps, e.g. along the lines of the national COVID Tracker apps developed within the EU. Could these be integrated into a single EU health app with a section for VBDs?

Ø Improved public access to medical treatment and vaccines for VBDs.

Ø Effective travel controls on people and animals moving from infected areas.

Ø Development of domestic animal management methods to eliminate contact with vectors/wild reservoir host species.

Technological VBD control methods:

Ø Vector elimination/containment by biological, mechanical, and chemical means.

Ø Development of fast, cheap, readily available VBD tests.

Ø Improved modelling methods to predict climate change-VBD risks.

Ø Production of effective vaccines for all VBDs: only 26% of the VBD diseases discussed here have vaccines currently available (see table).

Key take home messages

1. Three groups of complex, interlinked and often poorly understood stressors influence the emergence and propagation of VBDs: anthropogenic climatic, demographic, and technological changes.

2. Major anthropogenic climatic hazards for disease aggravation: warming, precipitation, floods, drought and storms.

3. VBDs constitute the largest single aggravated disease group, with viruses and bacteria the largest pathogen groups.

4. 22 out of 23 of the major VBDs examined, have been shown to or are predicted to show changes in geographical range, disease occurrence, and/or frequency/seasonal duration due to climate change.

5. Of the climate change aggravated VBD vectors, mosquitoes constitute the largest type (39%), followed by ticks (22%), fleas (13%), snails (9%), and sand flies (9%).

6. 18 of the 23 VBDs (78%) considered here, have been shown to or are predicted to affect areas of Europe.

7. Prevention and mitigation of climate change-aggravated VBDs revolves around environmental, societal, and technological control methods, including:

Ø Improved VBD surveillance of the human and domestic animal reservoir host populations.

Ø Enhanced public awareness of VBD threats.

Ø Development of effective VBD vaccines.