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Environ Health Perspect. 2001 Mar; 109(Suppl 1): 141–161.
doi: 10.1289/ehp.01109s1141
PMCID: PMC1240549
PMID: 11250812
Research Article

Climate change and mosquito-borne disease.

P Reiter
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Abstract

Global atmospheric temperatures are presently in a warming phase that began 250--300 years ago. Speculations on the potential impact of continued warming on human health often focus on mosquito-borne diseases. Elementary models suggest that higher global temperatures will enhance their transmission rates and extend their geographic ranges. However, the histories of three such diseases--malaria, yellow fever, and dengue--reveal that climate has rarely been the principal determinant of their prevalence or range; human activities and their impact on local ecology have generally been much more significant. It is therefore inappropriate to use climate-based models to predict future prevalence.

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Selected References

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