Evidence suggest average global temperatures will increase between approximately 1.5°C and 6°C by the end of this century. This rise in temperature may be beneficial for the spread of some infectious diseases. Global incidence of Dengue has increased in recent decades with climate change being a suspected cause. Dengue Fever is typically seen in the tropic and sub tropic climates. Changes in weather such as milder winter and warmer summers could lead to ecological changes in Dengue.
Female Aedes Spotted in Germany!
Due to milder winters and moist air, mosquitoes are capable of surviving and thriving in Germany. During a period of 8 weeks in 2011 two adult females of the Aedes genus were collected for the first time in June and August. Previously, only immature stages of the genus had been collected in Germany.
The table below shows the amount of mosquitoes that were trapped over the 8 week period;
http://www.eurosurveillance.org/images/dynamic/EE/V17N04/Werner_Tab.jpg
Currently the mosquitoes survive for a limited time and die during the cold winter. However, due to global warming, it it thought the climate in Germany will on average become warmer and the winters shorter and the count of exotic mosquitoes will continue to increase.
Mosquitoes typically travel with a companion such as viruses. The further from their native tropic climates the mosquitoes can migrate, the further the virus can also. Thus the spread of infectious diseases such as dengue will spread further around the wold.
Werner, D., Kronefeld, M., Schaffner, F., & Kampen, H. (2012). Two invasive mosquito species, Aedes Albopictus and Aedes japonicus japonicus, trapped in south-west Germany, July to August 2011. Euro Surveill, 17 (4).
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