In their most recent issue, Science
Magazine has stated that there may be a connection between rising temperatures
and a growing threat from infectious disease. Malaria, a disease caused by
Anopheles
mosquitoes, kills nearly 650,000 people a year and thrives in hot and humid areas.
As temperatures start to rise, the areas where malaria and other diseases such
as dengue fever will expand, due to the ideal breeding conditions of the
mosquito. In the Florida Keys, a disease that has been long extinct in the region
is resurfacing, and in the Arctic, an environment generally devoid of disease,
there is a rise in the population of the parasites such as lungworm that
afflict the local wildlife.
However, research indicates that
climate change is not the sole reason for the resurfacing of these old deadly
diseases. In the case of the Florida Keys, the mosquitoes were almost
ritualistically eradicated by the government of Florida, and this procedure no
longer takes place. In Africa, where malaria runs rampant, the disease is less
prevalent in the cleaner, wealthier countries where sanitation and public
health are in a better state, than the poorer, less-developed areas.
I feel like this issue is somewhat
out of the hands of humans but there are some ways that we can lower the spread
of disease. I think that the government in Florida should continue to try and
control the mosquito population as well as well a stay conscious of rising
temperatures throughout the world.
Source: http://science.time.com/2013/08/02/infectious-disease-could-be-more-common-in-a-warmer-world-especially-for-plants-and-animals/
Source: http://science.time.com/2013/08/02/infectious-disease-could-be-more-common-in-a-warmer-world-especially-for-plants-and-animals/
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| Anopheles mosquito |
Victoria, I've always known that warmer, more humid weather means more bugs, but I never really put it together with the fact that more bugs means more disease! I agree that there's nothing we can really do about it but stay clean and try to keep the mosquitoes away from us.
ReplyDeleteVictoria, I agree that the mosquito problem in Florida is a major concern. Sense Florida is a huge tourist spot, so the Malaria disease could easily be spread throughout the nation and world. Even though this disease is already found around the world the more we do to stop it from spreading, the safer we all will be. I think the United States needs to create a vaccine that everyone must get to get rid of this disease forever. However, sense this solution would cost a lot of money which we don’t have at the moment, we would need to have a cheaper solution. One could be to create a public service announcement to alert people about the danger of this disease. I think the second option would be a good start and who knows what the future will hold.
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