Emerging infectious diseases, vector-borne diseases, and climate change

Abstract

All vector-borne diseases are climate sensitive: climate acting as an important driver of spatial and seasonal patterns, year-to-year variations (including epidemics), and longer-term geographic trends. Although climate is only one of the many drivers of the dynamics of disease vectors (ticks and insects) and the pathogens they carry, public health researchers, policy makers, and practitioners are increasingly concerned about the potential impact of climate change on the health of populations. However, to make progress, the public health community needs to understand the nature of the impact of climate variability and change on vector-borne and emerging diseases, the predictability of the climate, and the potential for climate knowledge and information to inform health decision-making.