In the wake of the hottest summer on record, European scientists are sounding alarms over severe health risks associated with soaring temperatures and climate-induced shifts in disease patterns. A recent study by Spanish scientists revealed that more than 47,000 Europeans died unexpectedly due to extreme summer heat, predominantly affecting vulnerable populations like the elderly and outdoor workers. However, scientists warn that rising temperatures are also laying the groundwork for even more complex health challenges, as new research points to climate change’s role in increasing the spread of infectious diseases.
This phenomenon occurs as rising temperatures and altered habitats enable disease-causing pathogens and their carriers to infiltrate regions they once couldn’t. For example, West Nile virus, previously contained to warmer locales, has now emerged in cooler, higher-altitude areas. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) reported a shocking rise in West Nile cases in 2024, with 1,202 locally transmitted cases and 88 fatalities—the highest in over a decade.
Culex mosquitoes, carriers of West Nile virus, thrive in specific temperature zones that climate change is expanding, increasing their range and lengthening the virus’s transmission season. “By 2050, up to 244 million additional Europeans could be vulnerable to West Nile virus alone,” warns Dr. Marco Santorini from the ECDC. Furthermore, Aedes albopictus, an adaptable mosquito species and vector for dengue and chikungunya, has surged across Southern and Central Europe, sparking outbreaks in Italy, France, and Spain. This shift marks the return of diseases like dengue fever to European shores after nearly a century.
Aside from mosquito-borne illnesses, climate change is reshaping the ecology of oceans, leading to increased infections from vibrio bacteria and even contributing to the rise of C. auris, a deadly fungal pathogen. In higher temperatures, these pathogens adapt, evolving to become more harmful to humans. Such changes are also affecting the spread of tick-borne diseases, such as Lyme disease and Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever, as ticks move into new regions.
The urgency is clear: coordinated government action is needed to address the rising risks posed by climate-driven infectious diseases. An interdisciplinary “One Health” approach, which considers human, animal, and environmental health as interconnected, could hold promise. Dr. Laura Garcia, a leading epidemiologist, notes, “A stronger collaboration among public health, agriculture, and environmental sectors is essential to effectively manage and prevent climate-driven diseases.”
As the climate crisis escalates, scientists stress that proactive measures, like bolstering health literacy on infectious diseases, expanding vector surveillance, and updating emergency response plans, are crucial to protecting public health.