Rising global temperatures are leading to more incidences of disease in Africa and also stressing public health systems while crippling the economy.
What's happening?
On World Mosquito Day, Aug. 20, officials detailed the threat of mosquitoes on the continent, including more cases of malaria, dengue fever, and yellow fever, according to Xinhua, China's state-run news agency.
There are 837 species of the pests in Africa, and they are thriving as the area — and the planet — gets hotter.
The insects are benefiting from gene mutations and insecticide resistance. Environmental pollution, weak surveillance systems, and a lack of awareness about insecticide-treated mosquito nets make eradicating them even more difficult.
Pregnant people and children are most at risk from these diseases. A 20% reduction in malaria incidences in the most affected countries would bump each one's gross domestic product by $60 billion every year, RBM Partnership to End Malaria CEO Michael Charles said, all per Xinhua.
"Climate change is fueling the spread of mosquitoes responsible for malaria and dengue fever transmission in Africa, [and it's] impacting negatively on economic growth," Charles said.
Why is this important?
The diseases are all prevalent on the continent. Malaria is preventable and treatable, and yellow fever is preventable. The former killed 608,000 people worldwide in 2022, and 95% of those deaths were in Africa; 80% of those people were children younger than 5, according to the World Health Organization.
Dengue fever is often mild, though it can lead to death in severe cases. The key always is to prevent mosquito bites by wearing long clothing and using insecticides.
"Philip Chigiya, secretary of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance Youth Advisory Council, stated that stopping the spread of disease-causing mosquitoes would require enhanced environmental hygiene, universal access to treated nets, and research into the mutation patterns of the insects," Xinhua reported.
"Chigiya stressed that investing in a climate-resilient future would help the continent mitigate the burden of infectious diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, cholera, and the Zika virus."
What's being done about mosquito-borne diseases?
The WHO works to educate people about the spread of these illnesses and how they can protect themselves. Raising public awareness and improving water storage and sanitation systems helps to control the diseases.
In general, we can take steps to lower our production of polluting gases, which trap heat in Earth's atmosphere and allow mosquitoes and other disease-transmitting bugs to expand their ranges.
Try swapping your gas-powered vehicle trips for public transit or self-propelledtravel, and replace some of your meat-based meals with plant-based alternatives. Every step we take moves us closer to a healthier, safer future.
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