Detection and Attribution of Climate Change Effects on Infectious Diseases

Abstract

Infectious agents whose life cycle includes a life stage or extended periods exposed to ambient weather conditions (including time within vectors or hosts) are sensitive to climate variability. Anthropogenic (or human-induced) climate change will alter the patterns of many human infectious diseases, because the development rates, lifespan and reproductive capacity of climate-sensitive infectious agents, their vectors and hosts are influenced by higher temperatures and increased climate variability (Hoberg et al., 2008; Costello et al., 2009). Most research on climate change and infectious disease has focused on vector-borne diseases (Kovats et al., 2001; Gage et al., 2008). For example, evidence has