Total weekly rainfall had a smaller effect on West Nile virus infections, the study found. An increase of 0.75 inch of rainfall increased the number of infections by about five percent.
Only a few mosquito species carry the West Nile virus, and each has specific habitat requirements, according to Nasci of the CDC. Warmer, wetter weather patterns will likely expand the niches of these species.
California health officials have already observed this, as some mosquito species carrying the West Nile virus have extended their ranges into higher elevations and coastal areas as temperatures warmed.
Along with mosquitoes, certain species of birds are reservoirs for the West Nile virus. Changing weather patterns also affect bird populations, which can impact the number of human infections.
For example, droughts can drive birds into urban areas, making human West Nile virus outbreaks more likely, said Kramer.
Southern states with high home foreclosure rates also face a unique West Nile virus threat, added Kramer and Landesman, since neglected swimming pools act as mosquito breeding grounds.
"The take-home message is that these systems are really complex," said Landesman. "Climate changes won't make them any easier to understand."
This article originally appeared at The Daily Climate, the climate change news source published by Environmental Health Sciences, a nonprofit media company.
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Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisnot only mosqutio but also other insects can transmit the virus.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAAAA+ - Another Asinine Alarmist Article ; The article pre-supposes that warmer temperatures would lead to more rainfall. Meanwhile other articles in SCIAM pre-suppose that warmer temperatures lead to drought. Heads I win; tails you lose. No science here.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMy 12 year old son knows more about science than these editors.
Forgive me, but some comments are just laughable. They say a little knowledge may be dangerous. Global warming in general means warming climates over the globe. It also means droughts in some places where there was rains before, and heavy rains in some places where it was dry before. Glaciers will thaw and sea level will rise. Food sources will change and some will go extinct. Most probably new deadly disease will come out and dormant disease will surge. These are just a few. These are facts and is happening right now. I do not think this is an asinine alarmist article. All we have to do is learn more and think deeper. Do not dwell on a shallow arguments.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAAAA+ still sums it up. "Climate Change" is a meaningless term in anything other than a political arena, as it sidesteps the issue of Anthropogenic Global Warming and intimates that any change in temperature, up or down is somehow unnatural, undesirable, and created by man. And that people, if only we try hard enough, or spend enough money, that we can somehow stop the Earth from evolving. Pure poppycock...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOf course the climate changes; it is written all over the geological record. And new diseases evolve and spread through different vectors; this is written in our genes. But this article presents an unproven hypothesis (AGW) as the vector for the spread of disease without a lick of evidence.
Raseclamid, you need to think... shallow... deep... whatever works for you, but this article jumps to so many conclusions if it had legs it would break them clean off.
Scientific American has become laughable with their absurd "reporting" of Global Warming stupidities. They are no longer a credible source of scientific information but are now spokesmen for politically inspired agenda with no debate or discussion. How low will they go?
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