What are your thought's on the idea that malaria coming to the west with global warming?

Question

What are your thought's on the idea that malaria coming to the west with global warming?

Answer 1

According to a report issued by the Harvard Medical School, malaria is not only circulating at higher altitudes; it is also maturing at a faster rate. At 68° F, the malarial protozoa take twenty-six days to incubate; at 77° F, they take half that time. Since Anopheles live only several weeks, warmer temperatures mean greater replication and transmission of the parasite. Up until recently, the United States had completely eradicated malaria, but the Anopheles mosquitoes are present in the U.S. Small outbreaks of locally transmitted malaria have occurred in the past decade in Texas, Georgia, Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, and New York.

Answer 2

The Aedes mosquitio has outbred the natives mosquitoes already. Add to that the fact that some malaria strains are completely drug resistant you have a problem. You can't use DDT because that will result in a larger rodent population increasing the likelihood of other infections.

Answer 3

It is another demonstration that much of what passes for science regarding global warming amounts to nothing more than fear mongering.  Even though someone above mentioned Siberia had one of the worst malaria outbreaks in modern times, he still got 3 down arrows (until I gave him an up).

Answer 4

Interestingly the united nations report on global warming that first suggested this has been widely slamed by the world wide expert whose views it claimed to have been putting across.

It took the threat of legal action before they admited that the world's formost expert on Malaria (or at least the one they though it was - after all they hired him) did not agree with the findings of the report and they removed his name from it.

On "The Great Global Warming Swindle" - Channel 4, he claimed that in fact Malaria thrives in colder countries and the largest Malaria outbreak recorded occured in Siberea.

Answer 5

Its really svary to think about, but what can we do, is the Q! Well we need to make sure we get are injections and make sure we store up medicines...They already found a lady in bad condition after she was bitten by a bad type of bug!And that was in scandinavia!:O scarey...but remember its what can we do that is the real Q!

Answer 6

Don't worry, we already beat it once and we can do it again.

http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/history/eradi...

Answer 7

This one is fairly easy to answer though how it became a DDT question I don't know...

Malaria - including falciparium which can be fatal - is transmitted by the 30-40 different species of Anopheles mosquito. It also carries other diseases such as Dengue fever for which there is no cure and can also be fatal.

The range of these mosquitoes is very temperature sensitive; as temperatures rise in the US, Mediterranean Europe, etc, then the mosquitoes will come. Even with the use of DDT (which was banned for VERY good reasons as noted above), it will still get here. As will malaria.

Emmy Award: There are no vaccinations for malaria or dengue and the current cure for malaria - artemisin-based therapies make you so sick you wish you just had malaria!

One positive outcome of malaria coming to the west is that more research will be done on vaccines which may eventually save a lot of lives in tropical, poorer countries.

There's not much we can do about it, but maybe, when the mosquitoes get here and see all the GW sceptics with their heads in the sand and bums in the air, they'll bite them first!

Answer 8

* The origins of the modern liberal environmental movement in the campaign to ban DDT -- that led to the resurgence of malaria in the poorest countries, with devastatingly fatal consequences

* The government-dictated preference for corn-based ethanol and other biofuels is causing massive land overuse, soaring food prices, and increased hunger in the poorest places

* A single SUV tank of ethanol-based gasoline burns enough food to feed a starving African for a year

* Hormones from contraceptive and "morning after" pills are literally being flushed into rivers and causing bizarre sexual malformations in fish -- and why, for once, there has been no outcry from liberals

* Yellowstone in flames: Liberal-inspired management programs in the Forest Service and the National Parks have led to major wildfires — including a near—catastrophic one in the nation's crown jewel, Yellowstone Park

* Getting the Green: the environmental movement is funded by industries that reap enormous profits from environmental laws and regulations

* Censorship, manufactured outrage, and even phony "science" are being used to cut short the debate over global warming

Answer 9

Since DDT was banned millions of people have died because of malaria and other pest born diseases.

http://www.acsh.org/healthissues/newsID....

http://www.eco-imperialism.com/content/a...

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First to answer your question "What are your thought's on the idea that malaria coming to the west with global warming?"   ANSWER: I would have to believe that "Global Warming " is man made or really is a problem!

The fear of Global Warming is the new "DANGER" that threatens our lives, danger sells!  Before Global Warming the great danger  was from the threat of death from the Communists during the Cold War!   The COLD WAR was the old danger that sold!    

There are corporations that are on the verge of making billions of dollars on the fears of Global Warming!    During the Cold War there were companies making billions on war related industries!  

Danger sells, Global Warming is the new Danger to fear!  Global Warming is a normal cycle of life for our Earth!  Global warming has occurred thousands of times in our past and life still thrives!

Will malaria kill every one?  No!  In malaria prone countries right now there are millions and millions of people living their ordinary simple lives without malaria!    

Malaria is another offspring "Danger" of Global Warming - not a concern at all!   If the earth is a little WARMER the growing season will be extended and there will be less starvation in the world!  

P.S. We have more forests in the U.S. now than we had 1000 years ago!  Another myth that is inaccurate that humans are destroying the forests!

Answer 10

Mosquitoes wont last long in england anyways, or the countries with lots of snow...

Answer 11

The lack of information regarding vector control is apparent in some of the answers. I can't speak for all areas, but in my neck of the woods, the local agency has a ground and aerial spray control program to combat mosquito populations, complimented by the use of "mosquito fish," that not only consume mosquito larvae but, unfortunately, sometimes other beneficial species as well.

As for the cavalier recommendation to bring back DDT -- this can be an important tool in combating malaria in poor, developing nations (although the applicators and their families face a disproportionately high risk and lack of medical care) -- we still have pools of DDT off the west coast.  You want to know more about this, and indeed, everyone should, investigate the links below.

What the increased risk will translate to is a bump in the budget of vector agencies in high risk areas.  So this hits us in the pocket book first and foremost.

This will also involve a strong public education campaign.  The greatest threat to a rise in the mosquito population will come from water in residential yards, businesses, etc.  Careful vigilance and code enforcement can be very effective in controlling outbreaks.

Answer 12

Malaria was endemic globally before the 20th century so its expansion will be more due to societal and economic impacts of climate change rather than the physical effects of climate change itself.  The tropical disease that should be the "poster child" for climate change is dengue fever.  Dengue is strictly tropical at this point, but expected to move towards higher latitudes as climate warms, impacting on the order of 1-2 billion more people.

Answer 13

I have done malaria research in Africa, am currently in public health currently, and have done climate change research 15-20 years ago.

Malaria can be a horrible disease.  The US is on the fringe of the malaria range.  Malaria is in some parts of Central and South American.  There are a few cases in the US each year, mostly from travel abroad, but Malaria was common in the deep south at one time.  Tulane University was established in New Orleans to fight Malaria in the South. It was possible to "eradicate" malaria in the US because the South is in a fringe area.  The types of mosquitoes that were found there were not the best vectors for the disease, but there are some good vector types there, just not dominate.  If the climate warms, malaria could be a problem again in the South as more efficient vectors are able to breed and expand their range.

This will never be the problem it has been in Africa or Central America for example.  The US is already on guard for the disease (has been for years) and many communities have active vector control programs in the South already to reduce mosquito populations. They are not there specifically to control malaria, but just to keep the mosquito populations down.  If it gets warmer, we may need to spend more for vector control and more to treat malaria cases, but it won't "wipe out" the US population.  It means we have less money to spend on other needs (as a society).

Answer 14

Do you the first two answerers seriously think that using DDT was a good thing?  Do you realize that DDT stays in the environment for about twenty years and biomagnifies in the food webs, killing birds?  Did you know that the bald eagle, our national bird, almost went extinct because of DDT.  There are alternatives to DDT, like other types of pesticides that are not chlorinated hydrocarbons like DDT; we could use organophosphates or carbamates.

To answer the question, that would be a bad really bad thing among other bad things that would be happening.  We would all be in danger of more diseases being spread, but I don't think we should try to wipe out all mosquitos with pesticides.  I mean, by that point, if malaria spreads, we've already messed up the biosphere so much (when it was stable and balanced before us) that I don't think we should do more damage.