Abstract
Vector-borne, water-borne and soil-borne diseases are climate sensitive. Temperature affects the development of arthropods and helminths. Rainfall provides suitable breeding sites for mosquitoes and suitable soil moisture conditions for the development of helminths on pasture. Climate change, through its impact on global temperature and weather extremes is already affecting the health of humans and animals directly, and will have indirect impacts on the transmission of vector-borne, water-borne and soil-borne diseases. Over the past decade, various mathematical risk models driven by climate change scenarios have been used to simulate and anticipate future changes in disease burden. This presentation will review recent advances in our understanding of the impact of climate change on vector-borne diseases affecting animals.
Bluetongue disease is a viral disease transmitted by Culicoides midges to ruminants. A Bluetongue epidemic significantly affected livestock in Northern Europe in 2006-07. Modeling research highlighted the impact of a heatwave on increased risk of Bluetongue disease transmission in Northern Europe. Future climate change could enhance this risk further over this region (Guis et al., 2012); however, the use of standard control zones and subsequent restriction of animal movements could mitigate such risk (Jones et al., 2019). Fasciola hepatica, also known as the common liver fluke, is a parasitic trematode that affects ruminants in Europe. Fasciolosis has large economical impacts on the livestock sector. The parasite requires the presence of a freshwater snail to complete its life cycle. Infectious metacercariae and the intermediate snail host are favoured by wet weather conditions and soil moisture on grassland. Modelling studies highlight that climatic suitability for fasciolosis increased during the 2000s over northern Europe. Recent trends are likely to continue in future. The liver fluke transmission season could lengthen by 3-4 months in some locations (Caminade et al., 2015). Other examples of climate sensitive animal diseases, such as lungworms and Rift Valley Fever, as well as other non-climatic drivers will also be discussed. Finally, future research directions for this field of research will be suggested.
References
Caminade, C., van Dijk, J., Baylis, M., & Williams, D. (2015). Modelling recent and future climatic suitability for fasciolosis in Europe. Geospatial health, 9(2), 301–308. https://doi-org.bibliosan.idm.oclc.org/10.4081/gh.2015.352
Guis, H., Caminade, C., Calvete, C., Morse, A. P., Tran, A., & Baylis, M. (2012). Modelling the effects of past and future climate on the risk of bluetongue emergence in Europe. Journal of the Royal Society, Interface, 9(67), 339–350. https://doi-org.bibliosan.idm.oclc.org/10.1098/rsif.2011.0255
Jones, A. E., Turner, J., Caminade, C., Heath, A. E., Wardeh, M., Kluiters, G., Diggle, P. J., Morse, A. P., & Baylis, M. (2019). Bluetongue risk under future climates. Nature Climate Change, 9(2), 153-157. 10.1038/s41558-018-0376-6