Climate Change Drives the Transmission and Spread of Vector-Borne Diseases: An Ecological Perspective

• Published in: Biology
• Main Authors: Jian Ma, Yongman Guo, Jing Gao, Hanxing Tang, Keqiang Xu, Qiyong Liu, Lei Xu
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2022
• Subjects: climate change; vector-borne diseases; transmission; spread; interaction; COVID-19 pandemic; Biology (General); QH301-705.5; North Atlantic; North Atlantic oscillation
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11111628; https://doaj.org/article/be34a04479b34b1cbd9ad4883857ec5a

Climate change affects ecosystems and human health in multiple dimensions. With the acceleration of climate change, climate-sensitive vector-borne diseases (VBDs) pose an increasing threat to public health. This paper summaries 10 publications on the impacts of climate change on ecosystems and human health; then it synthesizes the other existing literature to more broadly explain how climate change drives the transmission and spread of VBDs through an ecological perspective. We highlight the multi-dimensional nature of climate change, its interaction with other factors, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on transmission and spread of VBDs, specifically including: (1) the generally nonlinear relationship of local climate (temperature, precipitation and wind) and VBD transmission, with temperature especially exhibiting an n-shape relation; (2) the time-lagged effect of regional climate phenomena (the El Niño–Southern Oscillation and North Atlantic Oscillation) on VBD transmission; (3) the u-shaped effect of extreme climate (heat waves, cold waves, floods, and droughts) on VBD spread; (4) how interactions between non-climatic (land use and human mobility) and climatic factors increase VBD transmission and spread; and (5) that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on climate change is debatable, and its impact on VBDs remains uncertain. By exploring the influence of climate change and non-climatic factors on VBD transmission and spread, this paper provides scientific understanding and guidance for their effective prevention and control.