Wellcome has committed £22.7 million ($27.9 million) to 24 research teams in 12 countries to develop digital tools that work to better predict where and when climate change-fueled infectious disease outbreaks will occur. It hopes policymakers will use these tools to serve as early warnings, helping them prepare for outbreaks in a way that is more preventive rather than reactive.
As temperatures increase, greater swaths of the world become fertile ground for mosquitoes that carry diseases such as dengue, and natural disasters contaminate water sources, leading to diseases like cholera, which has recently become turbocharged. As geographical ranges of species shift, new disease transmissions between species can also occur.
Over a billion people who hadn’t been at risk before could face infections of dengue, zika, chikungunya, and other diseases by 2080.