Climate change to increase mosquito-borne disease threats in Australia

08 / 09 / 2019

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Sydney University cautioned of the climate change impact on increasing mosquito-borne disease threats in Australia.

“A changing climate will influence future mosquito-borne disease threats in Australia, with warmer weather in spring and autumn set to extend the mosquito season,” says Dr Cameron Webb from the Marie Bashir Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity and Sydney Medical School in Westmead.

“More mosquitoes may mean more disease,” Dr Webb says.

“We’ve seen an increasing burden of disease in many regions of Asia and the Pacific due to mosquito-borne disease, especially dengue – this highlights the importance in understanding the role of climate in driving these outbreaks and how best authorities can tackle this ongoing and complex public health challenge.”

“Beyond the direct impacts of climate change on mosquitoes, the way we’re trying to ‘green’ our cities by installing water tanks and creating wetlands may also inadvertently create opportunities for mosquitoes.”

Moreover, Dr Ying Zhang from the Sydney School of Public Health in the Faculty of Medicine and Health said “climate change is causing more frequent and intense natural disasters globally and here in Australia.”

“Prolonged droughts, cyclones, floods, bushfires and extreme heat events have significantly increased deaths, injuries, infectious diseases and mental illness in Australia,” says Dr Zhang, who is also a board member of Climate and Health Alliance, Global Climate & Health Alliance.

“Australia alone lost more than $1.3 billion each year due to climate-related extreme events over the 2000-2017 period,” according to a research of the Sydney school of Public Health.

“Building community resilience is crucial to protect health from climate change, especially for those who are most vulnerable.”