Zika virus outbreak underlines concerns about warming world

A warming world and an increase
 in mosquito-borne infections
 are comfortable bedfellows.

The recent outbreak of the mosquito-borne Zika virus in South America serves as a stark reminder of the health risks linked to a warming world, health experts say.

The virus, linked to brain damage in thousands of babies in Brazil, has already been discovered in Australian travellers returning from South America, and was detected in six Australians last year.

Zika is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also spreads the dengue and chikungunya viruses. The Zika virus generally only causes symptoms in one in five people.

Read Lucy Cormack’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “Climate change could worsen diseases like Zika virus, experts say.”