Climate change: an accelerator for certain diseases?

Climate change could contribute to an increase in malaria cases and asthma, according to a report entitled "Climate Change Futures: Health, Ecological and Economic Dimensions" *.

This document, whose conclusions were made public was supported by the United Nations Program for Development (UNDP) and an insurance company. It analyzes the potential impact of global warming on human health.

The increase in temperature favors the mosquitoes and ticks that carry diseases such as malaria, West Nile virus and Lyme disease, according to Paul Epstein of Harvard Medical School and colleagues.

The habitat responsible for dengue and yellow fever mosquito area, Aedes aegyppti appears and have expanded over the past three decades, including the colonization of mountain areas at altitudes where the temperature was low until there a limiting factor, says the report.

Moreover, "higher temperatures accelerate the maturation of the malaria parasite in the mosquito," which gives him the opportunity to bite uninfected people, promoting the spread of the disease, say the authors. Provided, however, remain viable in the mosquito limits, that too much heat will kill, they nuance.

In addition, the favorable tick habitat area could reach 213% of its current size by 2080, according to scientific estimates.

Finally, the researchers suggest that asthma may increase with the level of CO2 in the atmosphere. The growth of plants with pollen allergen is indeed favored when the levels of the gas increases, the study says.