Increasing evidence suggests that climate change may not only lead to rising ocean levels and more disruptive weather systems. On this Earth Day, researchers also warn that climate change may lead to new patterns of infectious diseases. As our planet warms, the ranges of pathogens may change. The result? Diseases typically thought to be diseases of the tropics may become commonplace in other regions of the world, including the United States.
Of course, the impact of climate change on infectious diseases is not limited to mosquito-transmitted diseases like malaria and dengue. In some cases, the ranges of the pathogens themselves are changing., perhaps better known as the brain-eating ameba, typically is found in warm lakes and rivers. Human infections are very rare and historically have been geographically limited to the southern U.S.