Climate Change: Impact on Vector borne diseases

Abstract

Vector borne diseases (VPDs) are big threats for the world population, particularly for the poorest segments of society in developing and least-developed countries. Every year more than one billion people are infected and more than one million people die from VPDs including malaria, dengue, leishmaniasis, yellow fever, lymphatic filariasis and many others. Vector-borne diseases contribute to one sixth of the illness and disability suffered worldwide, with more than half the world’s population currently estimated to be at risk of these diseases.¹

VBDs are dynamic systems with complex ecology, which tend to adjust continually to environmental changes in multifaceted ways.²Â Although diverse factors such as seasonal weather variation, socioeconomic status, vector control programmes, environmental changes and drug resistance, impact the distribution of VBDs; climate change and variability are likely to influence more on current vector-borne disease epidemiology.2, 3Breeding of these vectors, its survival, capacity to bite, transmission of diseases, as well as survival of disease agent like parasite, bacteria or viruses, which these vector carry primarily depend on many environmental factors like rainfall, humidity, temperature etc.