In our world today, mosquitos are moving across countries and borders to spread various diseases such as Dengue fever, which is a very widespread, infectious disease. Furthermore, in warmer and colder seasons, diseases which were thought to be eradicated are emerging again. For example, the recent plague case in Mongolia, the Vibrio Vulnificus infections in the Baltic Sea which moved north into the Norway regions, and the recent pig Cholera outbreak in China which migrated into Korea and Japan.
Although most people are aware that global warming results in the rise of global temperatures and sea levels, few recognise a secondary effect it has on our world: the migration of specific diseases into unprecedented regions.
Various diseases are carried by mosquitos, especially through agricultural produces and exports. Although the mosquitos had ended up in new countries, it was only once global temperatures rose that epidemics started to occur: the temperature change caused their eggs to rapidly hatch and populations started growing exponentially. In South Korea, Malaria is usually extremely rare, but after the three degree increase in the average temperature, the disease reappeared in the Gangwon-Do region. In addition, due to the migration of mosquitos up north from the Equator, Jeju Island in Korea is now considered a ‘Malaria Endemic Zone’. From the zika virus which causes microcephaly to malaria, diarrhoea and malnutrition which takes up the highest proportion of child morality, all are tragic consequences of climate change and increased mosquito (carrier) populations.
Secondly, to come to the roots of the primary issue, there are many implications directly caused by global warming.
According to the ‘Fifth Assessment Report’ written in 2014 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), The global mean average surface temperature rose by 0.89°C from 1901 to 2012 making each of the last three decades warmer than all preceding decades since 1850. At this rate, global average temperatures will likely dramatically rise by another 0.3°C to 0.7°C in the period 2016-2035.
To continue on the effects of the rising temperature, the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that 88% of diseases caused by climate change occur in children under the age of five. In addition, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) reported in 2015 that climate change has a direct impact on children’s health. Furthermore, change in the carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere can also decrease the protein contents in agricultural produce and therefore affect the nutrition consumed by people.
Viruses such as the Influenza are now able to flourish, which eventually led to a dramatic increase in the number of cases of respiratory diseases in the colder weather. While the World Health Organization (WHO) is fully aware of this situation, they struggle to take actions or legislate policies because every country has a different medical and governmental system.
Especially since global warming and its influence on pathogen spread is unknown to the majority, I strongly believe that different countries around the world should cooperate to create an infectious disease research team in order to provide solutions to this matter through establishing an international agreement on disease control immediately.
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