Table 2 Non-climate drivers of the transmission and spread of vector-borne diseases
From: Climate change: an enduring challenge for vector-borne disease prevention and control
Globalization and environment | |
Driver | Effect |
Deforestation, mining and dams | Change vector and non-human host habitats |
Ecosystem degradation/change | Changes vector and non-human host habitats |
International travel and trade | Spreads pathogen and vector |
Urbanization | Provides an ideal habitat for A. aegypti |
Population displacement | Spreads pathogen to new locations or puts immunologically susceptible populations in contact with the vector and pathogen |
Sociodemographic factors | |
Driver | Effect |
Population demographic composition | Children, the elderly and pregnant women may have elevated vulnerability |
Level of economic development | Quality of housing (including presence of air conditioning) affects exposure to vectors |
Baseline incidence of disease | Vulnerability to climate change may be highest at the margins of current endemic areas |
Population health status | Low level of population health increases vulnerability |
Humanitarian crises | War and famine confer high vulnerability |
Public health systems | |
Driver | Effect |
Surveillance | Passive and active surveillance inform prevention and control efforts |
Early warning systems | Preemptive vector control and other public health responses occur before impending outbreaks |
Vector control | Vector control measures reduce vector abundance |
Quality of healthcare system | Access to and quality of healthcare can affect size of infected human population, as well as case fatality rate and prevalence and severity of disabilities |
Research | Research on vector control, disease treatment, vaccine development, pathogen and vector evolution, and how to best coordinate prevention and control efforts across sectors, can lead to progress in control of vector-borne diseases |
Vector and pathogen characteristics | |
Driver | Effect |
Insecticide resistance | Vector proliferation |
Vector evolution | Potential for greater vectorial capacity |
Pathogen drug resistance | Increased pool of infected humans |
Pathogen evolution | Potential for higher pathogen transmissibility or virulence |
