"Climate Change May Already Be Spreading Malaria Mosquitos"

"As temperatures rise, many tropical species once confined to the warmest parts of the globe are expected to climb to higher altitudes and creep farther from the equator.

That already may be happening with mosquitoes carrying malaria, one of the world’s most devastating diseases and one that already kills more than 600,000 people a year. Evidence shows the insects are flapping their tiny wings to new locales in Africa, according to a new study.

Using data dating back to 1898, a team of Georgetown University researchers found the limits of the malaria mosquitos’ ranges moved toward the poles by 4.7 kilometers (2.9 miles) a year on average.

Mosquitos did some mountain climbing, too, with species gaining an average of 6.5 meters (21.3 feet) in elevation annually on the continent during the same time period, according to a paper published Tuesday in Biology Letters."

Dino Grandoni reports for the Washington Post February 14, 2023.

 

Source: Washington Post, 02/15/2023