Preparedness for mosquito-borne diseases in Europe: the ECDC perspective Jonathan Suk

Climate change and globalization constitute a risk to health security in Europe. The intensification of global trade and travel, in combination with widespread climatic changes, increases the possibility of outbreaks of mosquito-borne disease outbreaks in Europe. In recent years, there have been mosquito-borne disease outbreaks of dengue and Chikungunya linked to invasive mosquito species within Europe. In addition, there has been transmission of malaria in Greece, the potential for Zika transmission remains a concern, and endemic mosquito-borne diseases, such as West Nile fever, have the potential to become established in new areas. The timing and scale of such outbreaks remains impossible to predict, and there are important uncertainties in models of climate change and infectious disease, including that they do not easily account for public health contexts. Consequently, strengthened public health preparedness for mosquito-borne diseases represents an important adaptation strategy for addressing climate change and the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases.
Source: The European Journal of Public Health - Category: General Medicine Source Type: research