As mosquito ranges expand, better monitoring is key to preventing disease
Climate change is causing mosquito ranges to expand into historically temperate regions, increasing the risk of diseases like dengue and Zika. Experts emphasize that better national monitoring and surveillance are essential to identify and manage these emerging health threats.
Why it matters
Improved monitoring is critical for public health officials to prevent outbreaks as environmental changes alter the distribution of disease-carrying insects.
bzzzzt As mosquito ranges expand, better monitoring is key to preventing disease Monitoring is expensive and labor intensive. But it helps public health officials stop outbreaks.
2 Text settings Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only Learn more Minimize to nav With summer heat comes pool parties, beach days, backyard cookouts, and, of course, swarms of bloodthirsty mosquitoes.
But while insect bites have always been a side effect of time spent outdoors, the species doing the biting are changing in historically temperate regions like New England. As climate change makes these areas warmer and wetter, their ranges are expanding—and any diseases they carry come with them.
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