The impacts of climate change continue to affect various aspects of life on our planet. Recent studies are investigating how these changes influence the spread of diseases transmitted from animals to humans. These diseases are known as zoonotic diseases and pose a significant threat to global health.
Redaksiya reports that a study conducted by the London Natural History Museum, with its findings published on the institution's website, assessed how climate change could reshape the risk of diseases known as "zoonotic," transmitted from animals to humans, as the world progresses towards 1.5 degrees Celsius of global warming. David Redding, one of the study's authors, cited the example of plague, stating, "Plague is caused by a bacterium that circulates between rodents and the fleas that feed on them. Temperature greatly affects this system. Warmer conditions can increase rodent populations in some areas and accelerate flea development, thereby increasing the probability of infection.”
The study's findings, which draw attention to the risk posed by diseases spread by creatures like mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas, have determined that climate change can influence these animal-borne diseases due to their susceptibility to factors such as temperature, rainfall, and humidity. A warmer world can also alter habitats by changing weather conditions. High temperatures can nearly double the disease risk of zoonotic infections, particularly those spread by mosquitoes, as rising temperatures can increase disease risk by accelerating mosquito development or multiplying rodent populations. Researchers examined hundreds of scientific papers and collected detailed climate-disease data for 53 zoonotic diseases. As a result, it was determined that the impacts of climate change have been scientifically investigated for approximately 6 percent of 816 zoonotic diseases.
The changing habitats of many animals can bring humans and wildlife into closer proximity, increasing the probability of zoonotic disease transmission. The study's findings were published in the journal "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)."