Increased spread of serious infectious diseases due to global warming

Climate change creates new diseases

The tropical physician Emil Reisinger from Rostock warns: The higher temperatures caused by climate change make pathogens in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern flourish, which previously lived further south. This threatens new and dangerous infections in these latitudes.

Ticks and bacteria
As examples, he calls Vibrios, bacteria that now occur in the Baltic Sea and ticks.

With global warming tropical species of mosquitoes penetrate to Central Europe and can transmit diseases such as dengue fever. (Image: mycteria / fotolia.com)

Warm Baltic ideal
In a hot summer like 2018, the vibrios in the Baltic Sea find excellent conditions to multiply. The bacteria penetrate through open wounds in the skin and lead to serious infections. They are dangerous for people who are already weakened by pre-existing conditions or a poor immune system.

Egellarven
The larvae of parrots, cercaria, inhabitants of freshwater, also multiply when the water is warmer than 20 degrees. This will be more common in the course of global warming in northern Germany than before, and in shallow water these animals will probably become more.

dermatitis
They transmit a dermatitis, the bath dermatitis. Although this rash is not life-threatening, but scratching unpleasant for about a week. In addition, the larvae occur especially where many people go swimming in Mecklenburg - in the shores of lakes.

Tick ​​bites
Ticks, according to Reisinger, continue to spread with increasing heat. They could transmit viruses and bacteria with their bite, triggering early-summer meningo-encephalitis (TBE), a meningitis that can be devastating.

Ticks even in Norway
Today, ticks have even arrived in northern Sweden and Norway with climate change. Due to the higher temperatures, they can be active longer.

More mice, more ticks
One reason for the levels of ticks are the numerous rodents that the parasites appreciate as hosts. Of these, more survive in the current mild winters than before.

Southern Germany risk area
Baden-Würtemberg is now a risk area for FSME, and most parts of Bavaria are.

Mosquitoes and fever
With the global warming also mosquitoes of the hot countries come to Central Europe, and the transferred tropical diseases. The tiger mosquito has spread for years in this country, and it spreads dengue fever, as well as yellow and Chikunya fever.

Dengue fever
Dengue is transmitted through a sting of Asian Tiger mosquitoes (and other species). The symptoms are similar to flu: severe pain in the head, joint and muscles, high fever.

Sometimes deadly
In about 2-4% of patients the disease is severe. Then a dengue shock syndrome can occur. About 1-5% of these severe cases end in death.

West Nile virus
Currently, the West Fever on the Adriatic is spreading. Greece, Hungary, Romania and Serbia report more than one hundred infected people, and in Serbia alone nine people lost their lives. Now there is a risk that the disease will spread across the Alps (Dr Utz Anhalt)
Source: dpa / nd