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Diseases 'could disappear'
14/01/2008 14:18 - (SA)
Prague - Global warming in Europe could mean a host of potentially fatal diseases become more prevalent, a leading scientist warned on Friday ahead of a major conference on the subject.
Warmer temperatures could encourage the spread of mosquito-spread malaria and the potentially fatal West Nile Virus, David Rogers, who heads up the EU-funded Eden project into emerging diseases, told AFP.
On the positive side however, rising temperatures could eventually rid the continent of tick-borne encephalitis and other diseases, said Rogers, a professor of ecology at Oxford University.
He was speaking ahead of a five-day conference starting on Monday in the eastern Czech city of Brno, where some 150 scientists will discuss the impact of global warming on diseases in Europe.
Rogers' conclusions were drawn on data culled half-way through the five-year Emerging Diseases in a Changing European Environment (Eden).
The project, a collaboration between 49 institutions from 24 countries, aims to map out the impact of climate change on the spread of diseases in Europe and Mediterranean countries.
"The southern limits and northern limits of this disease will move north," said Rogers. "By 2050-2080 we could see the disappearance of this disease from Europe."
The rodent-spread Hatavirus, which often leads to lung failure and death in humans without proper treatment, could also disappear if spring temperatures increased, he added. "The virus survives longer on colder days."
On the other hand, insect-borne diseases, such as mosquito-spread malaria and the potentially fatal West Nile Virus were likely to increase with a warmer climate in Europe.
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