Climate change increases malaria risk

Climate change could lead to an increased risk of malaria, according to new research. People that are living at higher altitudes in tropical areas could be more at risk of contracting malaria as global warming pushes up temperatures. This is according to a new analysis of how the disease has affected people in mountainous areas of Africa and South America, which covered the last 20 years.

Researchers discovered that higher temperatures meant that more people living in tropical areas at high altitudes were more affected by malaria compared to when temperatures were cooler. This is the first study to look at how populations that live at around 1,200 metres above sea level might be affected by temperature changes when it comes to Malaria risk.

Previous theories have suggested that climate change may affect the location and risk of malaria. However, this is the first study that has shown that the disease migrates to higher altitudes as the temperatures increase. This means that millions of people that live in areas that have been malaria-free could now be at risk of contracting the disease.

Dr Menno Bouma, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said to The Independent: “We have identified that malaria does indeed move up and down and that the movement is temperature dependent. It’s been difficult to prove and people have been questioning it now for 20 years.

“The implications are that if this is true, and that a global warming is occurring leading to an increase in temperatures, then malaria will increase at higher altitudes where many people live. The high altitude areas in the tropics are particularly highly populated."

Many people have chosen to live in regions that are at a higher altitude due to the increase in rainfall and the lack of malaria. This means that millions of people do not have natural defences against the disease as they have never come into contact with it, further increasing the risk factor.