Mosquito bite more dangerous due to global warming

Written by OneHealthPact on November 30, 2022. Posted in News.

Mosquito bites cause a lot of itching in the Netherlands, but fortunately not viral diseases. With the warming climate, however, that may change. What can we do about it? “The emphasis is on prevention”.

“Together we are getting the West Nile virus under control. Stick to basic government rules: sleep under a mosquito net, lubricate yourself with DEET, wear long clothes, and cover your rain barrel.” It could just be a government plot from the future. After all, the warmer climate makes Europe more suitable for diseases spread by mosquitoes and ticks.

“Mosquitoes have never been a risk for viral diseases in the Netherlands, but that could change,” says Sander Koenraadt, associate professor of medical and veterinary entomology at Wageningen University. Climate change could worsen the risks of 58 percent of all known infectious diseases (218 out of 375) worldwide, scientists recently warned in the journal Nature Climate Change. In particular, these are so-called vector-borne diseases, which are transmitted between humans or from animal to human via a vector organism such as a mosquito or tick.