The United Kingdom is anticipating the arrival of diseases such as West Nile virus, dengue fever, and chikungunya, all of which are carried by mosquitoes. Mosquitoes, as well as ticks are vectors that can carry diseases, are expected to become widespread in Britain in the next few decades because of warmer temperatures and increasing rainfall there caused by climate change.
These effects of climate change in Britain were examined in a review article published in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases. The authors are Steve Leach and Jolyon Medlock, two experts from the Emergency Response Department of Public Health England, a government agency.
"These changes are in part due to increased globalization, with intercontinental air travel and global shipping transport creating new opportunities for invasive vectors and pathogens," the authors wrote. "However, changes in vector distributions are being driven by climatic changes and changes in land use, infrastructure, and the environment."
Several species of mosquitoes are already found in Britain, but a rise in temperature of two degrees Celsius by 2030 could lengthen the mosquito season by a month. This would expand the areas were mosquitoes breed by almost a third, and would be ideal for the spread of the Asian tiger mosquito, which carries dengue and chikungunya. Several species of mosquito have moved from Asia into Britain in recent years, traveling on items liked used tires, the study noted. Public Health England has been monitoring points of entry into Britain for signs of disease-carrying mosquitoes.
Diseases carried by insects have already spread into areas where they were not common. Chikungunya has been diagnosed in Italy and France, while West Nile virus has been diagnosed in Eastern Europe, the review noted. Malaria has re-emerged in Greece.
An increased presence of mosquitoes in Britain can also mean an increase in insect-borne diseases of livestock.