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Vector-Borne Disease Risk Increase

Vector-borne diseases are those carried by organisms, usually biting insects or ticks, that transmit them to humans or other organisms.[1] Climate factors, especially high and low temperature extremes and precipitation patterns, have a significant impact on the seasonality, geographic range and pervasiveness of vector-borne diseases.[1] 

Global warming is pushing average temperatures up; making heat waves more intense, frequent and long-lasting; and driving increased extreme precipitation. These and other climate changes influence the reproduction, development, behavior, and population dynamics of insects, pathogens, and people. As all these factors interact in new ways, it becomes more difficult to predict how vector-borne diseases will behave. Thus, risk increases.

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