West Nile virus in the US: A case study on climate change and health

On this day in 1897, British doctor Sir Ronald Ross discovered that mosquitoes carry and transmit malaria to humans. He received the Nobel Prize for Medicine for his work.

To coincide with World Mosquito Day today, which marks Ross’ discovery, MNT is taking a deep dive into another mosquito-borne disease — the West Nile virus — and its connection with climate change. In this exclusive analysis, MNT mined several data sources and looked at them in a new way.

Within 5 short years of its first documented appearance in New York back in 1999, the West Nile virus had spread from coast to coast, accelerating to cover territory at a rate of 1,000 miles per year by the early 2000s.

Jump forward to 2020, and West Nile virus is now a constant presence in parts of the United States, as brought to life in this specially-commissioned geographical heat map.

In our special feature West Nile virus in the US: A case study on climate change and health, we examine the link between recent climate change, mosquito populations, and the spread of the virus in the U.S. Are changes in temperature, humidity, and insect behavior enabling the virus — and other pathogens —to reach new human populations?

We talked to experts in climate change and infectious diseases about the evidence and the prospects for human health as the climate crisis intensifies.

Learn more about how “climate change is affecting the full breadth of what it means to be leading a healthful life,” and then dive into our pick of MNT articles on the combined threat of climate change and the spread of infectious diseases below.

Robin Hough ⁠Editor-in-Chief, Medical News Today