Unless we address climate change as a whole, we are going to see more diseases spreading due to global warming, said EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides.
The Commissioner was responding to questions during a press briefing with Cypriot journalists on Monday in Brussels.
Asked to comment on recent reports regarding recorded cases of dengue fever in Cyprus, Kyriakides highlighted that as the climate changes we are seeing more spreadable diseases in Europe than ever before.
She noted that the EU is in contact with the U.S. Centre for Disease and Control Prevention (CDC) to address diseases that are already arising or spreading further due to the changing climate.
“It’s important that we understand that unless we address climate change as a whole, we are going to see more of these mosquito vector-borne diseases and other zoonotic diseases impacting health. So the impact of climate change on health is undoubtedly there,” she said.
The Cypriot Commissioner mentioned that this year, for the first time, health was a topic of discussion during the COP28. “This shows you health is absolutely interrelated to climate change,” she noted.
Mosquito-born diseases in Cyprus on the rise
Figures from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) showed that mosquito-borne diseases, such as dengue fever, recorded a “striking” rise in Europe due to the changing climate and the spread of mosquitoes carrying the viruses.
“If this continues, we can expect to see more cases and possibly deaths from diseases such as dengue, chikungunya and West Nile fever,” said Andrea Ammon, ECDC director. “Efforts need to focus on ways to control mosquito populations, enhancing surveillance and enforcing personal protective measures.”
The agency said that the mosquito species Aedes albopictus, which spreads chikungunya and dengue, was moving further north and west in Europe. Aedes aegypti, which spreads diseases including dengue, yellow fever and chikungunya, became established in Cyprus last year and could make further inroads, it said.
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