Our Future, and the Dangers of Vectors

Our Future, and the Dangers of Vectors Name of Student Institution Affiliation Our Future, and the Dangers of Vectors Climate change contributes to the increased emergence of human disease. The significant warming of the world’s climate has contributed to simultaneous changes in rainfall, flooding, and windy weather. Considerable research has confirmed the relationship between these changes in the environment to the emergence of infectious diseases. Their environmental influence enables the spread of disease-causing pathogens due to their continued stay outside a human host. Arthropod vectors easily spread the most prevalent diseases sensitive to the changes in climate found water, food, in aerosol and those vectors with free-living stages. Diseases spread by certain vectors are also restricted geographically. With climate change, therefore, such diseases are spread to new geographical areas. The global climate change has increased exposure to vectors that transmit various diseases globally. The spread of Zika and West Nile virus, for example, is inextricably attributable to the changes in climate. Global climate change is causing an increase in temperatures that increase the suitability for the spread of Zika virus through their mosquito vectors, Ae. aegypti and Ae. Albopictus.Other competent transmission vectors for the virus include Ae. hensilii, and Ae. Polynesiensis (Lazear & Diamond, 2016). The Zika virus is believed to have infected an excess of million people in South America between 2015 and 2016. The Zika virus is spread by the bite of a mosquito that has acquired the virus, commonly as a result of feeding on an infected person (Baylis, 2017). There is also evidence of sexual transmission of Zika virus with the virus RNA having been found in semen, and saliva both causing the infection. Other means of transfusion for the virus include blood transfusion, perinatal transmission, and contact with infected body fluids (Baud, Gubler, Schaub, Lanteri & Musso, 2017). The epidemic outbreak of the Zika Virus in the Americas triggered a series of responses and research from the medical fraternity aimed at creating a vaccine and a cure to the infection. The West Nile virus (WNV), on the other hand, is spread by culex mosquitoes and the virus causes the West Nile fever. The vector, West Nile virus, is very responsive to changes in temperatures. Warmer temperature as a result of climate change is considered a driver of the emergence of the vector in new areas (Baylis, 2017). In 2013, WNV led in the list of domestically acquired arboviral diseases in the US with 1,267 cases reported. According to Lindsey, Lehman, Staples & Fischer (2014), change in the weather, notably, temperature and precipitation, zoonotic host and vector abundance are the main factors influencing the occurrence of outbreaks. Vector-borne and water-borne diseases are on the rise owing to the apparent global climate change. Multiple mechanisms increase the susceptibility of people to diseases. These mechanisms include: through geographical shifts of vectors or reservoirs, through changing development, survival and reproduction rates of vectors and abundance of vectors with constant biting. Ambient and warmer temperatures increase the risk of contracting the diseases. Poor management of infrastructure promotes inadequate management of excess rainfall leading to flooding and water stagnation. Such circumstances increase the sensitivity of diseases caused by water-borne vectors such as mosquitoes (Patz, Frumkin, Holloway, Vimont, & Haines). Increased exposure to the vectors increases the spread of the diseases to humans. The Zika virus is believed to cause an increase in the number of infants born with microcephaly and a sharp increase in neurological conditions. Consequently, the World Health Organization declared it a global health emergency in 2016 that required immediate concern and action to increase vector control and stop infection to pregnant women (Gulland, 2016). The Zika virus infection is known to contribute to various outcomes to pregnant women other than severe microcephaly, such as early loss of pregnancy and elective loss (Lazear & Di...