Infectious diseases are currently emerging, resurging and undergoing redistribution on a global scale. In fact, according to a 1996 World Health Organization (WHO) report, at least 30 new infectious diseases have emerged in the past 20 years. (1)

The three diseases that I will be focusing on are malaria, yellow fever, and dengue fever. Malaria, yellow fever, and dengue fever are just a few of the health conditions that may become more frequent in the coming century. For several years, scientists have warned that the higher temperatures and extreme weather events associated with global warming are likely

Aedes aegypti tend to breed in just about anything: bottle caps, plastic wrappers, tire dumps, and other fresh water containers that people leave standing. The habitats we create are perfect for them, and are hard to get to for control efforts.

The dengue virus is distributed wherever Ae. aegypti mosquitoes occur. The mosquito lives in the tropics wherever people live. The mosquito thrives in areas of high rainfall, but it also ironically thrives in desert areas because people often provide water containers for breeding. Ae. aegypti does not stand freezing weather, thus, it is limited to tropical and subtropical regions. Two aspects of global warming are particularly troublesome. Firstly, the warming is expected to be greater in temperate zones than in the tropics, and secondly, the warming is expected to be more marked at night than during the day. Both conditions help the spread of the mosquito into the temperate areas. The warming at night is especially favorable to Ae. aegypti because it is the cold temperatures at night that are most harmful to the mosquito.

Dengue fever, yellow fever and malaria are only three examples of major human diseases that can be expected to be influenced by global climate change. We can combat all three diseases with environmental sanitation and health education. In spite of these measures, we have not been successful in controlling them and we can expect local and world changes in temperature and rainfall to make their control more difficult.

Although malaria has the potential to cover large parts of the world, the IPCC panel found it unlikely that the disease will run uncontrolled through the United States and other developed countries. These nations have the means to fight malaria, both by eliminating mosquito-breeding sites and by treating cases. Although many parts of the United States and Europe already have climates that could support malaria, the disease was wiped out in these areas in the 19th century. The predicted consequences of global warming would fall most heavily on tropical regions, where malaria could spread in both latitude and altitude.

Over the last 20 years the number of yellow fever epidemics has risen and more countries are reporting cases. Mosquito numbers and habitats are increasing. Changes in the world's environment, such as deforestation and urbanization, have increased contact with the mosquito/virus. Widespread international travel could play a role in spreading the disease.

to mean bad news for the environment. What many people don't realize is that climate change may also have a major impact on the health of Americans.

Vaccination is the

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Approximate Word count = 1777
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)