Health

Climate Change Will Bring More Virulent Diseases

by Barbara McPherson | July 5, 2008 at 01:45 pm

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Climate change brings about changes in the weather patterns, bringing spring weather earlier and milder winters. This is not all good news. Along with milder and hotter weather there is a plethora of diseases that N. America has previously defeated or never seen. A good example is the relatively new West Nile Virus. Soon to follow may be malaria, denge fever, yellow fever and a host of other nasties.

WASHINGTON, July 4, 2008 (Reuters) — A new strain of West Nile virus is spreading better and earlier across the United States, and may thrive in hot American summers, researchers said on Thursday.

The mosquito-borne virus caused an estimated 35,000 cases of fever, was reported to have killed 117 people and caused serious disease such as encephalitis and meningitis in 1,227 people in 2007, the CDC reported.

A second team of researchers said a new strain of the virus that has completely overtaken the original strain is particularly well suited to hotter weather -- which in turn means West Nile outbreaks may worsen in the north.