Climate change ushers in era of uncertainty for infectious diseases

Anthropogenic climate change results from the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This phenomenon is responsible for a relentless upward trend in global temperature. The hottest years ever recorded over 140 years of modern weather record-keeping have all occurred since 1998, and 9 of the 10 have occurred since 2005. The July 2020 global temperature was the highest ever recorded in the Northern Hemisphere for July, and the second-warmest July worldwide. Although discussions of climate change frequently are centered on predictions of a calamitous future, climate change has already increased the incidence and exposure risk for many infectious diseases. A greater frequency of climate-change associated extreme weather events, such as heat waves, drought, and floods, have changed patterns of human migration and created an increased human-to-human transmission risk for novel diseases. Climate change has also resulted in the expansion of the range of numerous pathogenic microorganisms, vectors, reservoirs, and hosts beyond...