Previously unaffected regions are now susceptible, with children and the elderly among the prime victims. The report says there is scientific agreement that the world has warmed by 0.6C this century. If governments do nothing to slow emissions of the gases causing global warming, the report says, a temperature increase of between 1C and 3.5C is predicted over the next century. National economies could be threatened. Both dengue fever and malaria are affecting new populations as warmer conditions allow mosquitoes to survive over a wider area, and at higher altitudes.
Malaria kills up to two million people a year, and more than two billion are thought to be at risk.
It has been found as far north as New York and Michigan. The report says the problem will be worsened as global warming upsets the population balance of natural predators. Owls, snakes, birds and bats, which keep insect and rodent numbers in check, are likely to be affected as the earth warms up. And the report says that health conditions in poor countries depend very much on the success of the harvest. Floods, which promote the growth of fungi, and droughts, which encourage whiteflies, locusts and rodents, are both expected to become more frequent and more severe.