UK Health Agency Confirms West Nile Virus In Mosquitoes For 1st Time; Dengue, Zika & More Awaiting Additional Warming

[hatrack]

limate change could make the UK vulnerable to insect-transmitted tropical diseases that were previously only found in hot countries, scientists have warned, urging ministers to redouble efforts to contain their spread abroad. Leading mosquito experts said the government’s cuts to international aid would lead to a collapse in crucial surveillance, control and treatment programmes in endemic countries, leading to more deaths.

This week, the UK Health Security Agency announced the discovery of West Nile virus in UK mosquitoes for the first time. The agency said it had found no evidence of transmission to humans and the risk to the British public is low. West Nile virus is transmitted by mosquitoes and, like dengue fever, chikungunya and zika, used to be confined to hotter regions of the world. But global heating has expanded the geographical spread of West Nile virus and other tropical diseases into cooler areas, including parts of northern and western Europe. In 2024 there were more than 1,400 cases of locally acquired West Nile virus and several hundred cases of dengue, mostly in France and Italy.

According to Dr Robert Jones, assistant professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, in the most extreme scenarios – with temperatures rising by 4 to 5 degrees above pre-industrial levels – there is expected to be a fivefold increase in dengue and chikungunya outbreaks by the 2060s in Europe.

“We are unlikely to see a dramatic surge in tropical diseases,” says Jones. “However, climate change is making the UK more hospitable to the insects that that transmit some pathogens that cause tropical diseases. Projected increases to UK temperatures in the coming years will increase the risks of West Nile virus outbreaks, potentially with epidemics appearing by the second half of the century.”

EDIT

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/may/23/climate-change-could-bring-insect-borne-tropical-diseases-to-uk-scientists-warn

[gab13by13]

1. We in the US won't be getting warnings like that,

Krasnov gutted that agency.

[dutch777]

2. Oh, when half the population gets infected we'll realize it on our own.