Malaria Climate

May 19, 2010

Many expected climate change to increase the spread of malaria, but a new study shows human efforts to fight the disease may overcome warm weather’s impact. University of Florida researchers, working in a multinational team of experts on the Malaria Atlas Project have discovered that the spread of malaria has been declining despite rising temperatures.

Andy Tatem/UF geography researcher: “ Many of the studies in the past that have looked at the effects of climate change, have only really considered the effects of temperature rise and looked at how that is likely to cause a spread or increase in malaria. The fact is there are many other issues involved.”

Some of these issues include looking at the effectiveness of malaria control methods.

Andy Tatem/UF geography researcher: “The overall goal of the Malaria Atlas Project is to provide an evidence base on which we can measure progress towards whether it’s just controlling malaria or eventually eliminating it from parts of the world where that may be feasible.”

Researchers say it’s these modern day methods of malaria disease control, not just climate change, that are the key to the future spread of malaria.