March 16, 2018
Scientists at the Joint Research Centre, the European Commission's
science and knowledge service, find that global warming has allowed
disease-bearing insects to proliferate, increasing exposure to viral
infections.
Spurred on by climate change, international travel and international
trade, disease-bearing insects are spreading to ever-wider parts of the
world.
This means that more humans are exposed to viral infections such as
Dengue fever, Chikungunya, Zika, West Nile fever, Yellow fever and
Tick-borne encephalitis.
For many of these diseases, there are as yet no specific antiviral agents or vaccines.
Global warming has allowed mosquitoes, ticks and other
disease-bearing insects to proliferate, adapt to different seasons,
migrate and spread to new niche areas that have become warmer.
These are the findings of a JRC report that aims to raise awareness
about the threat posed by the spread of arboviruses (arthropod-borne
viruses).
The growing spread of arboviruses
Aedes mosquitoes spread several arboviruses, including Dengue, Chikungunya, Zika, West Nile and Yellow fever viruses.
These mosquitoes thrive in urban settings due to the lack of natural
predators and the ready availability of food and habitats in which to
procreate.
They have existed in Africa and Asia for many years and are now becoming more and more widespread.
They have recently become established in some European countries and
the Americas, largely as a result of international travel and trade.
Their alarming spread poses a problem for public health. They are
difficult to eradicate - their larvae can survive for months, even in
suboptimal humidity and temperature conditions.
The tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) has been found in several
European countries, including Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany,
Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden and, more recently, the Netherlands.
One of the more recently reported vectors for the virus, the
Dermacentor reticulatus tick species, is rapidly spreading through
Europe. It has a high reproduction rate, is cold resistant and can live
underwater for months.
Humans can be infected by a tick bite or through consuming
unpasteurised dairy products that do not meet EU safety standards and
have come from infected animals. Luckily, TBEV can be vaccinated
against.
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Zika virus - a serious concern for Europe
Zika virus has received a lot of media attention due to its
association with neurological disorders such as Guillain-Barré Syndrome
(GBS) and the development of microcephaly (abnormally small head) in
foetuses.
It is difficult to diagnose and there is no cure or vaccine. First
identified in 1947 in the Zika forest of Uganda, its spread is a serious
concern given the growing presence of its main vector, the mosquito
Aedes albopictus, in temperate zones including Europe and America.
The first documented outbreak of ZIKV infection was reported in 2007
in Micronesia. Since then it spread to French Polynesia and Brazil,
where it infected up to 1.3 million people in 2015.
More than 70 territories worldwide have confirmed autochthonous
(indigenous) cases of ZIKV. By March 2017, 2 130 Europeans were reported
to have travel-associated ZIKV infections.
Mosquito control strategies
The report describes and discusses several methods that have been
used to control the spread of mosquitoes, including insecticides,
mosquito traps, genetic modification, land reclamation and habitat
surveillance.
Currently, the safest and most readily available and effective
methods of controlling mosquitoes are mosquito traps (for relatively
small areas) and nets, and the reduction of potential breeding sites
(standing water).
While the research team behind the study advocate better control of
mosquito populations, they also warn that it would be unwise to remove
mosquitoes completely from the ecosystem.
They are part of the food web for some species, and pollinate many
plants. Wiping them out completely could have negative effects on
nature, and consequently on humans.
Source:
https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/news/climate-change-promotes-spread-mosquito-and-tick-borne-viruses" rel="nofollow - https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/news/climate-change-promotes-spread-mosquito-and-tick-borne-viruses