Climate Change, Global Travel Contribute to Surge in Infectious Diseases
If it seems like infectious diseases have been spreading like wildfire this year, you’re not imagining things. 2022 has seen a flurry of infectious disease outbreaks, including COVID-19, Monkeypox, Polio and Marburg virus. Experts say these outbreaks are a culmination of several factors. Climate change creates the conditions for viruses to spread more easily. Habitat loss and severe weather force animals and human to migrate in unprecedented numbers, leading to more animal-to-human and human-to-human transmission. At the same time, global demand for meat has increased and global travel has rebounded to pre-pandemic levels.
Some outbreaks have also been linked to our failure to contain viruses in developing countries. Wealthier nations have long neglected infectious disease burdens faced by low-income countries, which has allowed monkeypox to become a greater global threat. Routine vaccinations remain extremely low in low-to-middle income regions, but childhood immunization rates have steadily declined in wealthy countries in recent years. These choices have created a perfect storm that could continue to brew if we don’t take swift global action.
Full Story: Insider