Climate change to worsen disease as new viruses could be brought to the UK, experts warn

Dr Wainwright continued: “We could for instance see West Nile Virus turning up. This nasty disease, which has in recent years popped up in Italy and a few other European countries recently due to unusually warm springs, causes a range of problems — including paralysis in rare cases. We currently have no vaccine against it — and few treatments.”

As climate change leads to rising temperatures, more extreme weather patterns and more frequent flooring, Dr Wainwright added, we may also see other mosquito-borne illnesses such as Zika Virus and Dengue Fever show up and settle in the UK.

In terms of ticks, he added, “there is a growing body of evidence that climate change has aided, and will continue to aid, the success of these parasites.

“Ticks can carry and spread a variety of diseases, ranging from Lyme disease to Tick-borne Encephalitis — the latter of which we’ve already seen a few cases in the UK in recent years.”

Article source: https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1695507/climate-change-worsen-disease-virus-uk-west-nile-zika-dengue