Diseases like West Nile, EEE and Flesh-Eating Bacteria Are Flourishing due to Climate Change
by Elizabeth Weise
Oct. 5, 2019 – An outbreak of a deadly and rare brain disease has killed at least 11 people in the United States so far this year.  Scientists say the mosquito-borne illness, Eastern equine encephalitis, may be worse because of unseasonably warm temperatures.  It’s one of just several diseases scientists worry are being affected by climate change.
The nation’s changing climate patterns are bringing heat waves, flooding, warming waters, and droughts.  These in turn alter the environment, including the microbes, viruses and insects that inhabit it, in ways that can cause them to increase or appear in new areas and at different times than before.   
While it’s difficult to attribute any particular disease event to global warming, it’s safe to say that climate change will change disease dynamics, said Erin Mordecai, a professor of biology at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, who studies the ecology of infectious disease  “We’re poised for a lot of surprises,” Mordecai said.
Eastern Equine Encephalitis
One is Eastern equine encephalitis virus, or EEE, which kills 1/3 of all people who get it.  A mosquito-borne virus, it tends to come in cyclical waves, with large outbreaks occurring many years apart.  This is the biggest outbreak since the 1950s or 1960s, said Mordecai.
There are no definitive ties to global warming in this outbreak, but “this is such an emerging story there hasn’t been time to research it yet,” Mordecai said.
What is known is that the mosquitoes which transmit the virus thrive in warmer temperatures and die off at the 1st hard frost.  That’s where climate change comes in.  The Earth just had its warmest September on record.  The past 5 years have been the warmest since modern record-keeping began in the 1880s, according to NASA. 
Earlier springs, later falls, and hotter months in between contribute to higher mosquito populations and a greater chance of infection.  “The longer the breeding season, the more baby mosquitoes that are going to hatch and the more your chance of getting bitten,” says George Rutherford, a professor infectious disease and epidemiology at the University of California, San Francisco.
EEE isn't the only disease doctors are concerned about.  Other illnesses that might be getting worse because of climate change include:
Dengue Fever
Transmitted by mosquitoes, some cases of dengue fever can result in a rare hemorrhagic form that can kill.  Dengue was once known as “breakbone fever”, for the severe muscle and joint pain it can cause.   There have been outbreaks in Hawaii, Florida and Texas.  And there is some concern it might spread, because of longer mosquito breeding seasons caused by warmer weather.
“There’s been dengue in southern Texas, Hawaii and Florida.  And there will be dengue in other places,” said UCSF’s Rutherford.
West Nile Virus
1st introduced to the United States in New York in 1999, West Nile virus is transmitted by infected mosquitoes and ticks.  In a tiny percentage of cases, it causes brain inflammation.  That can take weeks or months to recover from and sometimes causes permanent effects, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It is spread through the bites of infected mosquitoes and ticks.  Last year, 167 people died from it, according to the CDC.
Chronic Kidney Disease
The “kidney stone risk belt” is an area across the warmer parts of the southeastern United States where the incidence of kidney stones is higher.  Researchers believe this is linked to hotter temperatures.  When people sweat more, they produce less urine, which raises their risk for kidney stones.
Research at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas predicts that the proportion of the U.S. population living in high-risk zones for kidney stones will increase from 40% in 2000, to 56% by 2050, and to 70% by 2095.
"The assumption is that the 'stone belt' will eventually expand, as areas that were not as hot get hotter.  We predicted that will lead to an increasing kidney stone rate across the United States," said Yair Lotan, one of the authors of the research paper.
Flesh-Eating Bacteria
Vibrio vulnificus is a bacteria that lives in warm brackish water.  It’s actually erroneously described as “flesh-eating”, because it releases enzymes that can rot flesh and shut down internal organs.  Infection can occur after handling or consuming seafood or coming into contact with seawater.
Warmer coastal water and flood conditions, which are increasing with climate change, can create a more hospitable environment for the bacteria, according to the CDC.  The number of cases in areas where it was once rare, such as New Jersey and Delaware, has been increasing.
Brain-Eating Amoeba
Naegleria fowleri is a single-celled organism that’s commonly found in soil, as well as warm freshwater lakes, rivers and hot springs.  On very rare occasions, it can enter the body through the nose, where it can travel to the brain and destroy brain tissue.  Such an infection is called primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, or PAM for short, and is almost always fatal.
For decades, this very rare disease was mostly reported in the southern part of the United States. Infections in northern states, however, have begun to increase, as water temperatures rise, according to the National Institutes of Health.  It 1st appeared in Minnesota in 2010.
Tick-Borne Diseases
Ticks that can carry Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and Babesiosis are all expanding into higher latitudes as temperatures rise.  This is creating a larger area across which they can be transmitted.
The ticks are also emerging from their winter hibernation earlier and remaining active later into the fall, increasing the possibility they will bite and infect humans.
www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/10/05/climate-change-worsen-diseases-equine-encephalitis-west-nile-dengue-fever/3859382002/