More than half the world’s population could be at risk of mosquito-borne diseases, experts warn

In the UK, figures released by the UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) show that last year, for the first time in 20 years, the number of imported cases of malaria exceeded 2,000.

It said there were 2,004 confirmed cases of malaria in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2023 following overseas travel, compared with 1,369 in 2022.

The increase, according to the UKHSA, is linked to the resurgence of malaria in many countries and an increase in overseas travel following the lifting of pandemic restrictions.

Meanwhile, worldwide, the number of dengue fever cases reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) has increased tenfold in the past two decades, from 500,000 in the 2000s to more than five million in 2019.

Dengue-carrying mosquitoes have invaded 13 European countries since 2000, with the disease expected to spread locally in France, Italy and Spain in 2023.

The population at risk of malaria and dengue could increase by another 2.4 billion people by 2100

Rachel Lowe, professor at the Catalan Institute for Research and Advanced Studies in Spain, said: “Global warming caused by climate change means that the disease vectors that carry and spread malaria and dengue can find a home in more regions, and outbreaks are occurring in areas where people are likely to be immunologically weakened and public health systems to be unprepared.”

“The stark reality is that longer warm seasons will increase the seasonal window for the spread of mosquito-borne diseases and favor increasingly frequent outbreaks that are increasingly complex to manage,” added Rachel Lowe.

If global warming can be limited to 1C, the population at risk of malaria and dengue could increase by an additional 2.4 billion people by 2100 compared to 1970-1999, the researchers said.

But they predict that if the current trajectory of carbon emissions and population growth continues, 4.7 billion people could be affected by dengue and malaria by the end of the century.

Professor Lowe added: “We need to anticipate epidemics and intervene early to prevent disease from occurring.”

Researchers are currently developing ways to predict when and where epidemics might occur, using disease surveillance data and climate change data.

The findings were presented at the ESCMID Global Congress in Barcelona, ​​Spain, according to Sky News.

Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow DCNews on Google News too