From ABC 7
March 30, 2019
WASHINGTON — Up to a billion additional people could be exposed to mosquito-borne diseases like Zika by the year 2100 as climate change intensifies, according to a new study.
Shifting global temperatures will make new parts of the world habitable for disease-ridden mosquitos, exposing new populations to the threat of infection, researchers from Georgetown University, the University of Florida and other universities write in a newly published study. In tropical climates, mosquitos could spread disease year-round, while seasonal infection risks will increase “almost everywhere else.”
“Places like Europe, North America and high elevations in the tropics that used to be too cold for the viruses will face new diseases like dengue,” Colin J. Carlson, a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown, explained in a news release.
In addition to Zika and dengue, scientists cite chikungunya and a dozen other viruses that are “notorious for explosive outbreaks” as increasing threats.