Climate change can lead to global outbreak of mosquito-borne diseases dengue, zika and chikungunya, warned the World Health Organization on Wednesday
The incidence of infections caused by arboviruses, such as dengue, Zika and chikungunya, has grown dramatically around the world in recent decades
About half of the world’s population is now at risk of dengue with an estimated 100-400 million infections occurring each year
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is found on nearly all continents and to date, 115 countries have reported transmission
While Zika virus disease has declined globally, to date, 89 countries have current or previous spread of Zika virus
These diseases, that spread from mosquitoes to people, are causing an increasing number of outbreaks worldwide, with climate change, deforestation and urbanisation being some of the major risk factors
All these factors allow mosquitoes to adapt better to new environments and spread the risk of infection geographically further, including to the European region
Velayudhan said around 129 countries are at risk of dengue and it is endemic in over 100 countries. From about half a million cases in 2000, it has exponentially grown to 5.2 million in 2019