Mosquitoes Are Spreading at a Faster Clip Because of Warming Temperatures

And it could put a billion people at risk of deadly diseases.

Transcript

00:00Mosquitoes aren't just obnoxious, they're also one of our planet's most notorious

00:07killers.

00:08In fact, they're responsible for spreading some 700 million blood-borne illnesses every

00:12year, resulting in the deaths of an astounding 725,000 people.

00:17And now scientists say, as many parts of the world continue to get warmer, they're becoming

00:21more hospitable to these tiny little killers, and their populations are spreading further

00:26every year.

00:27Researchers have been watching 22 species of African mosquitoes and their habitats,

00:31looking at historical data going all the way back to 1898.

00:34Since that time, the planet has warmed by at least 2.16 degrees Fahrenheit.

00:38And now experts believe that many species are spreading their territory by around three

00:42miles every year, finding some mosquito species swarming 310 miles further south than they

00:47should have.

00:48What's more, they're also moving to higher elevations as well, increasing the spread

00:52of diseases like malaria to once more immune areas.

00:55Scientists say that this mosquito spread could increase the cases of blood-borne illnesses

00:59exponentially, possibly putting a billion more people at risk.

01:02Especially considering that ethnic groups which live in areas already affected by mosquito-borne

01:06illnesses have a resistance to diseases like malaria, a resistance that those that live

01:11in other areas do not.