Malaria and dengue fever will spread across Australia and the Pacific Islands from south and southeast Asia as climate change allows mosquitoes to travel to areas that were once too cold for them to survive, according to a new report.
Though Australia has been free of malaria since 1962, rising temperatures could make areas as far south as Gladstone on the mid-Queensland coast hospitable for mosquitoes. Outbreaks of dengue fever could reach Rockhampton, 100 kilometers further north.
From The Telegraph:
The report, The Sting of Climate Change: Malaria and Dengue Fever in Maritime Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, predicts that in countries where the mosquito-borne diseases are already present, the situation will worsen as temperatures climb.
“Mosquitoes are very sensitive to changes in climate. Warmer conditions allow the mosquitoes and the malaria parasite itself to develop and grow more quickly, while wetter conditions let mosquitoes live longer and breed more prolifically,” it said.
“The sting of climate change is an international public health crisis being felt on Australia’s tropical doorstep. It may soon be pressing on Australia’s northern shores as well.”
Malaria is already a big problem in the lowlands of Papua New Guinea, but the research indicates that global warming will allow mosquitoes to travel into the country’s western highlands, affecting up to another two million people.
This is a serious warning; hopefully the governments of these countries will take immediate action. I’m not familiar with the Australian government’s viewpoints on global warming and whether or not they’re likely to do something about this – any Australians want to weigh in? Seeing as malaria already kills two million people – mostly children – every year, and this number will likely rise dramatically if the events we’re being warned about come to pass, there’s certainly no time to waste.
Link [The Telegraph]
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
