Heatwaves and climate change increase infectious disease risks

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has warned that rising temperatures and prolonged heatwaves are creating favorable conditions for the spread of several infectious diseases. The ECDC identified four primary risk groups: foodborne illnesses caused by bacterial proliferation, vibriosis from bacteria in warm coastal waters, mosquito-borne diseases, and tick-borne illnesses.

In France, climate modeling by researchers from the IRD, Cirad, and the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics suggests that the tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) could inhabit nearly all of metropolitan France, excluding mountainous regions, by 2085. Under a high-pressure scenario involving high greenhouse gas emissions, between 89% and 96% of the territory could become suitable for the mosquito. This expansion increases the risk of autochthonous dengue fever transmission across 71% to 95% of the country. Even in a more moderate scenario, up to 89% of the territory could face favorable conditions for the mosquito's establishment.