The Weather Notebook: The Latest Buzz

The Latest Buzz
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Dave Thurlow, Host

That might be the sound of global warming? The whiny, incessant buzz of a mosquito, whizzing past your ear. Hi, I'm Dave Thurlow and this is The Weather Notebook.

Countries in tropical Africa account for more than 90% of malaria cases reported worldwide. - World Health Organization

A global temperature change of just a couple of degrees, as is now predicted for the next century, should bring hot, humid weather, more rain, and an increase in the habitat for mosquitoes. And with mosquitoes can come a host of infectious diseases like malaria, dengue fever, and yellow fever.

Malaria is on the increase across the planet, and particularly in Africa. The World Health Organization says malaria now infects up to a half-billion people a year, and a million die annually. The disease, which is spread by the anopheles mosquito, is usually confined to areas with minimum winter temperatures of 61 degrees Fahrenheit and a humidity of at least 55 per cent. In recent years, cases of malaria have been reported in several northern U.S. states, from New York to Michigan.

If the world continues to heat up, is a malaria epidemic in our future? In less-developed countries, probably, according to health experts. But perhaps not for the U.S., which has well-constructed homes, insect screens, and air conditioning. Not to mention access to drugs and vaccinations, when they work.

But malaria is just one threat. Global warming plays havoc with the weather around the world, with floods and droughts spawning other infectious disease outbreaks, such as hantavirus, meningitis, and others. All one more unforeseen consequence of what may be the fastest temperature rise in the last ten thousand years.

Today's show was written by David Appell. The Weather Notebook is a production of the Mount Washington Observatory with major funding provided by Subaru and the National Science Foundation.