Climate change causes malaria outbreaks to start earlier, study shows
The malaria season in southern Congo is starting earlier and earlier due to global warming caused by climate change, according to research by Congolese and Belgian scientists.
The mosquitoes that transmit the malaria parasite thrive best at temperatures of 20 to 25° C. Areas with seasonal malaria are getting warmer earlier in the year, and the heat is lasting longer, opening the door to earlier malaria outbreaks.
Data from historical health and climate records from Upper Katanga province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo now support this theory. Malaria incidence in the region has risen to levels seen before the 1940s, when widespread malaria control measures were introduced. The increase coincides with a rise in average temperatures.
Easier to reproduce
"The temperature profile just before the seasonal increase in malaria infections has risen by 5° over the last century, from 12 to 17°," says researcher Joachim Mariën from the University of Antwerp. "This clearly makes it much easier for the parasite to reproduce."
To counter this increase, the researchers recommend intensifying indoor residual spraying. "This is an important strategy to control and eradicate the disease, especially in high-altitude areas affected by climate change," they say.
#FlandersNewsService | © PHOTO YASUYOSHI CHIBA / AFP
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