Correlation Between Climate Change and Virus Transmission
Over the past decade, climate change has become a topic of focus for countries, politicians, and activists around the world. As industries and large corporations become more common, the need for factories, open spaces, and resources has skyrocketed. All of this results in damage to the ecosystem and an increase in the temperature of the planet. This increase leads to severe floods, devastating fires, longer hurricane seasons, and rising sea levels. However, climate change is also causing the transmission of viruses to become more common, and easier to pass through many different vectors. This piece will focus on climate change and its effect on creating environments that are beneficial for virus transmission.
Viruses spread through vectors, which carry diseases and allow them to spread. Some forms of vectors are animals, insects, and people . The most common vector, which has caused devastating outbreaks in recent decades, is insects. The primary insects that spread viruses are mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, and flies. As the Earth steadily warms, it is becoming increasingly easier for these insects to breed, live longer, and have more resources to survive. This means there will be a larger number of insects that are capable of transmitting viruses. Furthermore, if temperatures continue to rise at the current rate, human exposure to these insects will be greater and the chances of becoming infected are higher. It is evident in the diagram featured on the first page that over 35 million people were affected by floods in 2018. Floods and rainfall, which have increased over the past few years, create still water in boxes, containers, or puddles. These are perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes and are becoming a root cause for why viruses spread by them are incredibly dangerous.
Animals are also vectors for virus transmission. Changes in rainfall levels and temperatures will affect animals' appetites and where they live. They may not have enough food or a sustainable habitat. For the aforementioned reasons, they have to move and this may end up making them live closer to humans, which can increase the transmission of viruses. There is another way that animals can transmit viruses, but not many people realize. When human sewage and garbage is not properly disposed of, it can contaminate animals. When these animals are hunted for food, or when they come in contact with humans for any reason, they can spread viruses. Humans can also spread viruses through air droplets, fine particles, touching objects, and because they travel and come in contact with several people. Although this is not directly related to climate change, it should be noted that COVID-19 is being spread by humans, and there are 2,531,000 confirmed cases as of April 21st, 2020. Warmer temperatures will push respiratory viruses towards the north as they can survive better and even thrive there. Furthermore, a study on influenza showed that warmer winters lead to more severe flu outbreaks, and this is only going to get worse as temperatures increase over the next few decades. As the climate becomes warmer, and the weather changes, viruses will be more easily transmitted throughout the world.
References
Kingsland, J. (2020, April 2). How might climate change affect the spread of viruses? Retrieved April 10, 2020, from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/how-might-global-warming-influence-the-spread-of-viruses
National Research Council (US) Committee on Climate, Ecosystems, Diseases, I., & Health, and H. (1970, January 1). Climate Influences on Specific Diseases. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK222258/
Wu, X., Lu, Y., Zhou, S., Chen, L., & Xu, B. (2015, October 18). Impact of climate change on human infectious diseases: Empirical evidence and human adaptation. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412015300489
Climate change and human health — risks and responses. Summary. (2012, October 25). Retrieved April 10, 2020, from https://www.who.int/globalchange/summary/en/index5.html
