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It is known that climate and weather conditions are important components that affect human health. This means that the climate change observed worldwide is in turn changing the data related to the health and well-being of populations.

Climate change affects the human body in a direct and indirect way.

1. Direct exposure: through changing weather conditions (temperature, rainfall, sea level rise and more frequent extreme weather events).
2. Indirect exposure: is due to the lower quality of water, air and food, as well as changes in the ecosystem, agriculture, industry, settlements and economy.

Consequently, climate change is increasing existing diseases worldwide but also creating new ones.

The health impacts of climate change can be divided into the following three categories:

a) Direct: usually caused by extreme weather events (e.g. deaths from heat waves).

b) Indirect: caused as a consequence of environmental changes and ecological disturbances due to climate change (e.g. increasing threat from diseases carried by mosquitoes or rodents).

c) Impacts caused on populations affected by environmental degradation and economic problems due to climate change e.g. nutritional or psychological problems.

The following are diseases transmitted by vectors through the bite of rodents and other vectors such as mosquitoes, flies, ticks and bedbugs that carry the infectious agent. The occurrence and frequency of these diseases are directly linked to climate change. There is a high probability of their occurrence in Europe.

West Nile Virus

Cases of West Nile virus have increased in temperate countries in Europe, North America and North Africa, posing a threat to Public Health and animals. West Nile virus is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito, usually of the genus Culex. The transmission of the virus was facilitated by climate change (temperature, humidity) mainly through the increase in the mosquito population associated with stagnant water in wells and other places.

Malaria

Malaria is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. Climate change plays an important role in the incidence and geographical distribution of malaria, as it brings about variations in the latitude and altitude at which malaria cases are recorded. However, extreme weather events in countries in Africa and Asia have contributed to the re-emergence of malaria in countries where the disease had been eliminated due to the movement of the population to other countries.

Dengue Fever

Dengue fever is one of the most important diseases transmitted by arbo-viruses to humans by mosquitoes of the genus Aedes Aegypti, a characteristic of which is its ability to adapt to the environmental conditions of urban cities. And the genus Aedes Albopictus which was particularly widespread in Europe.

Climate change brings about notable changes in the occurrence of Dengue fever in urban cities as the increase in temperature also lengthens the transmission period. Specifically for Greece, it has been argued that the occurrence of a dengue fever epidemic is possible in Athens in the last months of summer if the virus is introduced into the population.

Chikungunya fever in Europe

Chikungunya is a virus transmitted by mosquitoes (mainly the Aedes albopictus species – the tiger mosquito) and causes high fever and joint pain. Although rarely life-threatening, it is a nasty disease that can spread rapidly once it is transmitted by mosquitoes in an area. The ECDC brought together leading experts to assess the potential risk of chikungunya fever spreading in Europe. The experts identified several areas in Europe where mosquitoes capable of transmitting the virus were present. In the summer of 2007, the first case of chikungunya virus in Europe occurred in the Ravenna area in north-eastern Italy.

Zika virus disease
It is a viral disease transmitted to humans mainly by the bite of an infected mosquito of the genus Aedes. The Aedes aegypti is a mosquito that transmits the diseases dengue fever, chikungunya and yellow fever, as well as other diseases. The mosquito is distinguished by the white stripes on its legs and a lyre-like mark on its chest. The mosquito originates from Africa and is found in tropical and subtropical regions of the planet).

Leishmaniasis

Leishmaniasis manifests itself in two forms: visceral and cutaneous. Both forms are due to the species Leismania donovani

In Europe, there are two main species of the genus Phlebotomous that cause leishmaniasis, Ph. Pernicious and Ph. Perfiliewi. The former is found mainly in Mediterranean countries (France, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia and Turkey), while the latter in Cyprus, Greece and Malta but not in North Africa.

In addition, the increase in temperature leads to an acceleration of the rate of maturation and reproduction of the parasites, resulting in an increase in the risk of infection.

Lyme disease

Lyme disease is caused by infection with the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, which is transmitted by ticks of the species Ixodes ricinus. Lyme disease is recorded in temperate countries of America, Europe and Asia. The geographical distribution and the number of the tick population depend on environmental conditions. The increase in temperature in the winter months and the extension of spring and summer causes an increase in tick activity and their endemicity.

According to forecasts by the World Health Organization, climate change and global warming are expected to have significant health impacts.