The Effect of Climate Change on Mosquito-Borne Diseases

Global climate change will affect all living things on this planet. For many species, the change in their environment may mean extinction. However, there is one organism, the mosquito, that may benefit from changes in the climate. This paper addresses the possible effects of climate change on mosquitoes, including longer breeding seasons and increased hatch rates of populations. The enlarged population will cause mosquitoes to seek more territory, and the warmer climate will in turn make more territory available. If mosquitoes increase in population, there may be an amplification of mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, Chikungunya virus, St. Louis encephalitis, West Nile virus, and the Zika virus. This trend of increased range because of climate change has already been observed in dengue fever. This information can be used as an engaging segue into teaching students about climate change and vector-borne disease.