30JUN

Welcome To Mediterr J Med Med Sci

Manuscripts are accepted for consideration with the understanding that they represent original material and are not being considered for publication elsewhere. The editors welcome the submission of relevant articles for editorial consideration. Manuscripts and all scientific and professional data should be addressed to the Editor-in-Chief (fmosherif@yahoo.com, f.sherif@uot.edu.ly).
Mediterranean Journal of Medicine and Medical Sciences
https://mmj.org.ly/article/doi/10.5281/zenodo.20727368

Mediterranean Journal of Medicine and Medical Sciences

Review Community medicine

Climate change-driven infectious diseases: A global health perspective

Farzana Yasmin, Rabby Hasan, Majedul Hoque, Mohammad Sabbir Hossain

http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20727368 Mediterr J Med Med Sci, vol.2, n2, p.96-108, 2026
PDF
Downloads: 0
Views: 17

Abstract

Climate change is recognized as a significant driver of global health due to its impact on the dynamics of infectious illnesses. Rising temperatures, fluctuating precipitation patterns, harsh weather, and changing ecological systems all have an impact on the distribution, spread, and severity of vector-borne, water-borne, airborne, and zoonotic illnesses. In order to investigate the connection between climate change and the emergence, spread, and geographic distribution of infectious diseases, this review synthesizes recent scientific literature, including peer-reviewed articles, books, global surveillance reports, and climate-health assessments. Extensive searches across several databases, including Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, PubMed, and Springer Nature, were used to gather the most relevant data from the timeline between 1995 and 2025. The reviewed evidence indicates that rising global temperatures, altered precipitation patterns, extreme weather events, and ecosystem disruptions are significantly influencing infectious disease dynamics. Climate change has expanded the geographic range and seasonal activity of vectors such as mosquitoes and ticks, contributing to the resurgence and spread of diseases including dengue, malaria, influenza, Lyme disease, and Zika virus infection. The development of successful preventative initiatives should consider this issue seriously. This review highlights the infectious diseases impacted by climate variability and discusses the pathway, emergent risks, global epidemiological patterns, future directions, and public health implications.

Keywords

Climate change, health implications, infectious disease, regional trend, vector-borne disease

References

  1. Watts N, Amann M, Arnell N, Ayeb-Karlsson S, Beagley J, Belesova K, et al. The 2020 report of The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: Responding to converging crises. The Lancet. 2021; 397: 129-170. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32290-X
  2. Rocque RJ, Beaudoin C, Ndjaboue R, Cameron L, Poirier-Bergeron L, Poulin-Rheault RA, et al. Health effects of climate change: An overview of systematic reviews. British Medical Journal Open. 2021; 11(6): e046333. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-046333
  3. Corrente A, Pace MC, Fiore M. Climate change and human health: Last call to arms for us. World Journal of Clinical Cases. 2024; 12(11): 1870-1874. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v12.i11.1870
  4. Doshi S, Vuppula S, Jaggi P. Healthcare sustainability to address climate change: Call for action to the infectious disease's community. Journal of Pediatric Infectious Disease Society. 2024; 13(6): 306-312. doi: 10.1093/jpids/ piae029
  5. Tajudeen YA, Oladunjoye IO, Adebayo AO, Adebisi YA. The need to adopt a planetary health approach in understanding the potential influence of climate change and biodiversity loss on zoonotic disease outbreaks. Public Health Practice. 2021; 2: 100095. doi: 10.1016/j.puhip.2021.100095
  6. Coates SJ, Enbiale W, Davis MDP, Andersen LK. The effects of climate change on human health in Africa, a dermatologic perspective: A report from the International Society of Dermatology Climate Change Committee. International Journal of Dermatology. 2020; 59(3): 265-278. doi: 10.1111/ijd.14759
  7. Ali A, Shaikh A, Sethi I, Surani S. Climate change and the emergence and exacerbation of infectious diseases: A review. World Journal of Virology. 2024; 13(4): 96476. doi: 10.5501/wjv.v13.i4.96476
  8. Reinhold JM, Lazzari CR, Lahondère C. Effects of the environmental temperature on Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes: A review. Insects. 2018; 9(4): 158. doi: 10.3390/insects9040158
  9. Hompoosri J, Thavara U, Tawatsin A, Boonserm R, Phumee A, Sangkitporn S, Siriyasatien P. Vertical transmission of Indian Ocean Lineage of chikungunya virus in Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. Parasite Vectors. 2016; 9: 227. doi: 10.1186/s13071-016-1505-6
  10. Hugo LE, Stassen L, La J, Gosden E, Ekwudu O, Winterford C, et al. Vector competence of Australian Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus for an epidemic strain of Zika virus. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. 2019; 13(4): e0007281. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007281
  11. Carbone G, Boiardi G, Infantino C, Cunico D, Esposito S. Vectors on the move: how climate change fuels the spread of Arboviruses in Europe. Microorganisms. 2025; 13(9): 2034. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms13092034
  12. Le Tong Y, Cifuentes-González C, Agrawal K, Shakarchi F, Song XYR, Ji JS, Agrawal R. Climate change and the impact on ocular infectious diseases: A narrative review. Ophthalmology and Therapy. 2025; 14(8): 1695-1712. doi: 10.1007/s40123-025-01185-0
  13. Levy K, Smith SM, Carlton EJ. Climate change impacts on waterborne diseases: Moving toward designing interventions. Current Environmental Health Reports. 2018; 5(2): 272-282. doi: 10.1007/s40572-018-0199-7
  14. McIver LJ, Imai C, Buettner PG, Gager P, Chan VS, Hashizume M, et al. Diarrheal diseases and climate change in Cambodia. Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health. 2016; 28(7): 576-585. doi: 10.1177/10105395 16660190
  15. Lowen AC, Steel J. Roles of humidity and temperature in shaping influenza seasonality. Journal of Virology. 2014; 88(14): 7692-7695. doi: 10.1128/JVI.03544-13
  16. Minhaz Ud-Dean SM. Structural explanation for the effect of humidity on persistence of airborne virus: Seasonality of influenza. Journal of Theoretical Biology. 2010; 264(3): 822-829. doi: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2010.03.013
  17. Meena P, Jha V. Environmental change, changing biodiversity, and infections-lessons for kidney health community. Kidney International Reports. 2023; 8(9): 1714-1729. doi: 10.1016/j.ekir.2023.07.002
  18. Thongsripong P, Green A, Kittayapong P, Kapan D, Wilcox B, Bennett S. Mosquito vector diversity across habitats in central Thailand endemic for dengue and other arthropod-borne diseases. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. 2013; 7(10): e2507. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0002507
  19. Williams PC, Bartlett AW, Howard-Jones A, McMullan B, Khatami A, Britton PN, Marais BJ. Impact of climate change and biodiversity collapse on the global emergence and spread of infectious diseases. Journal of Pediatric Child Health. 2021; 57(11): 1811-1818. doi: 10.1111/jpc.15681
  20. Ebi KL, Vanos J, Baldwin JW, Bell JE, Hondula DM, Errett NA, et al. Extreme weather and climate change: population health and health system implications. Annual Review of Public Health. 2021; 42: 293-315. doi: 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-012420-105026
  21. Weilnhammer V, Schmid J, Mittermeier I, Schreiber F, Jiang L, Pastuhovic V, Herr C, Heinze S. Extreme weather events in Europe and their health consequences - A systematic review. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health. 2021; 233: 113688. doi: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2021.113688
  22. Overpeck JT, Meehl GA, Bony S, Easterling DR. Climate data challenges in the 21st century. Science. 2011; 331(6018) :700-702. doi: 10.1126/science.1197869
  23. Burke KD, Williams JW, Chandler MA, Haywood AM, Lunt DJ, Otto-Bliesner BL. Pliocene and Eocene provide the best analogs for near-future climates. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2018; 115(52): 13288-13293. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1809600115
  24. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Future climate changes, risks and impacts. https://ar5-syr.ipcc.ch/topic_futurechanges.php (2014)
  25. Baylis M, Risley C. Infectious diseases, climate change effects on. Infectious Diseases. 2012; 5: 117-146. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4614-5719-0_6
  26. de Souza DK, Owusu NP, Wilson MD. Impact of climate change on the geographic scope of diseases [Internet]. Human and social dimensions of climate change. IntechOpen. 2012. doi: 10.5772/50646
  27. Acosta-España JD, Romero-Alvarez D, Luna C, Rodríguez-Morales AJ. Infectious disease outbreaks in the wake of natural flood disasters: Global patterns and local implications. InfezMed. 2024; 32(4): 451-462. doi: 10.53854/liim-3204-4
  28. Balan N, George G. Feverish future: Infectious disease risks in the age of climate change. Biosciences Biotechnology Research Asia. 2025; 22(2). 449-458. doi: 10.13005/bbra/3375
  29. Esposito MM, Turku S, Lehrfield L, Shoman A. The impact of human activities on zoonotic infection transmissions. Animals (Basel). 2023; 13(10): 1646. doi: 10.3390/ani13101646
  30. Keatts LO, Robards M, Olson SH, Hueffer K, Insley SJ, Joly DO, et al. Implications of zoonoses from hunting and use of wildlife in North American Arctic and Boreal Biomes: Pandemic potential, monitoring, and mitigation. Frontiers in Public Health. 2021; 9: 627654. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.627654
  31. Ogieuhi IJ, Ahmed MM, Jamil S, Okesanya OJ, Ukoaka BM, Eshun G, et al. Dengue fever in Bangladesh: rising trends, contributing factors, and public health implications. Tropical Diseases, Travel Medicine and Vaccines. 2025; 11(1): 26. doi: 10.1186/s40794-025-00251-6
  32. Chapoterera B, Naidoo K, Marume A. Impact of climate change on malaria transmission in Africa: A scoping review of literature. Journal of Public Health in Africa. 2025; 16(1): 1346. doi: 10.4102/jphia.v16i1.1346
  33. Delrieu M, Martinet JP, O'Connor O, Viennet E, Menkes C, Burtet-Sarramegna V, et al. Temperature and transmission of chikungunya, dengue, and Zika viruses: A systematic review of experimental studies on Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. Current Research in Parasitology Vector-Borne Diseases. 2023; 4: 100139. doi: 10.1016/j.crpvbd.2023.100139
  34. Lipp EK, Huq A, Colwell RR. Effects of global climate on infectious disease: the cholera model. Clinical Microbiology Review. 2002; 15(4): 757-770. doi: 10.1128/CMR.15.4.757-770.2002
  35. Yu H. Climate change unveils hidden microbial dangers. Environmental Science and Ecotechnology. 2025; 24: 100544. doi: 10.1016/j.ese.2025.100544
  36. Semenza JC, Ko AI. Waterborne diseases that are sensitive to climate variability and climate change. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2023; 389(23): 2175-2187. doi: 10.1056/NEJMra2300794
  37. Chhetri BK, Galanis E, Sobie S, Brubacher J, Balshaw R, Otterstatter M, et al. Projected local rain events due to climate change and the impacts on waterborne diseases in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Environmental Health. 2019; 18(1): 116. doi: 10.1186/s12940-019-0550-y
  38. Kaushal SS, Shelton SA, Mayer PM, Kellmayer B, Utz RM, Reimer JE, et al. Freshwater faces a warmer and saltier future from headwaters to coasts: climate risks, saltwater intrusion, and biogeochemical chain reactions. Biogeochemistry. 2025; 168(2): 31. doi: 10.1007/s10533-025-01219-6
  39. Ma J, Guo Y, Gao J, Tang H, Xu K, Liu Q, Xu L. Climate change drives the transmission and spread of vector-borne diseases: An ecological perspective. Biology (Basel). 2022; 11(11): 1628. doi: 10.3390/biology11111628
  40. Thomson MC, Stanberry LR. Climate change and vector-borne diseases. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2022; 387(21): 1969-1978. doi: 10.1056/NEJMra2200092
  41. Latinne A, Morand S. Climate anomalies and spillover of bat-borne viral diseases in the Asia-Pacific region and the Arabian Peninsula. Viruses. 2022; 14(5): 1100. doi: 10.3390/v14051100
  42. Borham A, Abdel Motaal K, ElSersawy N, Ahmed YF, Mahmoud S, Musaibah AS, Abdelnaser A. Climate change and zoonotic disease outbreaks: Emerging evidence from epidemiology and toxicology. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2025; 22(6): 883. doi: 10.3390/ijerph22060883
  43. Chen F, Jiang F, Ma J, Alghamdi MA, Zhu Y, Yong JWH. Intersecting planetary health: Exploring the impacts of environmental stressors on wildlife and human health. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. 2024; 283: 116848. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2024.116848
  44. Jusot JF, Neill DR, Waters EM, Bangert M, Collins M, Bricio Moreno L, et al. Airborne dust and high temperatures are risk factors for invasive bacterial disease. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2017; 139(3): 977-986.e2. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2016.04.062
  45. Alkishe A, Raghavan RK, Peterson AT. Likely geographic distributional shifts among medically important tick species and tick-associated diseases under climate change in North America: A review. Insects. 2021; 12(3): 225. doi: 10.3390/insects12030225
  46. Carignan A, Valiquette L, Laupland KB. Impact of climate change on emerging infectious diseases: Implications for Canada. The Journal of the Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada. 2019; 4(2): 55-59. doi: 10.3138/jammi.2018-12-10
  47. Deshpande G, Beetch JE, Heller JG, Naqvi OH, Kuhn KG. Assessing the influence of climate change and environmental factors on the top tick-borne diseases in the United States: A systematic review. Microorganisms. 2023; 12(1): 50. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms12010050
  48. Nakase T, Giovanetti M, Obolski, U, Lourenco J. The population at risk of dengue virus transmission has increased due to coupled climate factors and population growth. Communications Earth and Environment. 2024; 5: 475. doi: 10.1038/s43247-024-01639-6
  49. Ndishimye P, Umuhoza T, Umutoni B, Zakham F, Ndayambaje M, Hewins B, et al. Rift Valley Fever outbreaks in the East African community: Insights from ProMed data (2010-2024). Frontiers in Public Health. 2024; 12: 1298594. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1298594
  50. Climate Change Indicators: Lyme Disease. Available at: https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-lyme-disease?utm_source=chatgpt.com (Accessed 10 October 2025).
  51. Pavan MG, Gnonhoue FJ, Corrêa-Antônio J, Padilha KP, Garcia GA, de Oliveira F, et al. The long-term persistence of the wMel strain in Rio de Janeiro is threatened by poor integrated vector management and bacterium fitness cost on Aedes aegypti. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. 2025; 19(7): e0013372. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0013372
  52. Islam MT, Clemens JD, Qadri F. Cholera control and prevention in Bangladesh: An evaluation of the situation and solutions. Journal of Infectious Diseases. 2018; 218(suppl_3): S171-S172. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiy470
  53. Caminade C, McIntyre KM, Jones AE. Impact of recent and future climate change on vector-borne diseases. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 2019; 1436(1): 157-173. doi: 10.1111/nyas.13950
  54. Zavaleta-Monestel E, Rojas-Chinchilla C, Molina-Sojo P, Castro FM, Rojas-Molina JP, Martínez-Vargas E. Impact of climate change on the global dynamics of vector-borne infectious diseases: A narrative review. Cureus. 2025; 17(1): e77972. doi: 10.7759/cureus.77972
  55. Jung Y-J, Khant NA, Kim H, Namkoong S. Impact of climate change on waterborne diseases: Directions towards Sustainability. Water. 2023; 15(7): 1298. doi: 10.3390/w15071298
  56. Ahmed R, Hoque M, Hasan MN. Scabies prevalence and management in Bangladesh: A narrative review. Bangladesh Journal of Infectious Disease. 2025; 12(1): 151-158. doi: 10.3329/bjid.v12i1.83987
  57. Liao H, Lyon CJ, Ying B, Hu T. Climate change, its impact on emerging infectious diseases and new technologies to combat the challenge. Emerging Microbes Infections. 2024; 13(1): 2356143. doi: 10.1080/ 22221751.2024.2356143
  58. Aslam B, Aljasir SF. Climate change and AMR: Interconnected threats and one health solutions. Antibiotics. 2025; 14(9): 946. doi: 10.3390/antibiotics14090946
  59. Wang Z, Pei S, Cui H, Zhang J, Jia Z. Zoonotic spillover and extreme weather events drive the global outbreaks of airborne viral emerging infectious diseases. Journal of Medical Virology. 2024; 96(6): e29737. doi: 10.1002/jmv.29737
  60. Liao H, Lyon CJ, Ying B, Hu T. Climate change, its impact on emerging infectious diseases and new technologies to combat the challenge. Emerging Microbes and Infections. 2024; 13(1): 2356143. doi: 10.1080/22221751. 2024.2356143
  61. Mim MS, Aktaruzzaman M, Tusher STI. A study of knowledge and practice about personal hygiene among school students. Mediterranean Journal of Medical Research. 2026; 3(1): 53-58. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.18563380
  62. Alabeedi SS, Bowjalawi KM, Alfituri SM, Khalifa FS, Alasbily HM, Alfituri AM. Prevalence of acute infectious hepatitis in Eastern Libyan pediatrics. Mediterranean Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. 2024; 4(1): 84-92. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.10723899
  63. Ezejiegu CK, Obinwa AI, Anyigor BO, Chukwunonoso O, Chimdalu IB. Survey on attitude, practice, and antibiotic usage pattern of livestock farmers: Implications on antibiotic resistance. Mediterranean Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. 2026; 6(1): 62-67. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.18838838
  64. Dyab EA, Muftah EB, Najim SM. Prevalence of antibiotic misuse among the general public in Libya: A cross-sectional study. Mediterranean Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. 2026; 6(1): 40-48. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.18705190
  65. Pathak VM, Verma VK, Rawat BS, Kaur B, Babu N, Sharma A, Dewali S, et al. Current status of pesticide effects on environment, human health, and its eco-friendly management as bioremediation: A comprehensive review. Frontiers in Microbiology. 2022; 13: 962619. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.962619
  66. Arias-Castro E, Castrejón-Godínez ML, Mussali-Galante P, Tovar-Sánchez E, Rodríguez A. Pesticides degradation through microorganisms immobilized on agro-industrial waste: A promising approach for their elimination from aquatic environments. Processes. 2025; 13(4): 1073. doi: 10.3390/pr13041073
  67. Kumar M, Yadav AN, Saxena R, Paul D, Tomar RS. Biodiversity of pesticides degrading microbial communities and their environmental impact. Biocatalysis and Agricultural Biotechnology. 2021; 31: 101883. doi: 10.1016/j.bcab.2020.101883
  68. Colwell ML, Townsel C, Petroff RL, Goodrich JM, Dolinoy DC. Epigenetics and the exposome: DNA methylation as a proxy for health impacts of prenatal environmental exposures. Exposome. 2023; 3(1): osad001. doi: 10.1093/exposome/osad001
  69. van der Plaat DA, de Jong K, de Vries M, van Diemen CC, Nedeljković I, Amin N, Kromhout H; Biobank-based integrative omics study consortium; Vermeulen R, Postma DS, van Duijn CM, Boezen HM, Vonk JM. Occupational exposure to pesticides is associated with differential DNA methylation. Occupational Environmental Medicine. 2018; 75(6): 427-435. doi: 10.1136/oemed-2017-104787
  70. Birk S, Chapman D, Carvalho L, Spears BM, Andersen HE, Argillier C, et al. Impacts of multiple stressors on freshwater biota across spatial scales and ecosystems. Nature Ecology and Evolution. 2020; 4(8): 1060-1068. doi: 10.1038/s41559-020-1216-4
  71. Wagner M, Scherer C, Alvarez-Muñoz D, Brennholt N, Bourrain X, Buchinger S, et al. Microplastics in freshwater ecosystems: What we know and what we need to know. Environmental Science Europe. 2014; 26(1): 12. doi: 10.1186/s12302-014-0012-7
  72. Yang X, Lwanga EH, Bemani A, Gertsen H, Salanki T, Guo X, et al. Biogenic transport of glyphosate in the presence of LDPE microplastics: A mesocosm experiment. Environmental Pollution. 2019; 245: 829-835. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2018.11.044

Submitted date:
04/03/2026

Reviewed date:
06/02/2026

Accepted date:
06/11/2026

Publication date:
06/11/2026

6a2b2feba953951216563226 mjmmr Articles
Links & Downloads
3107-2720 (Electronic)
Mediterr J Med Med Sci ©2026 All rights reserved for this website content. Articles follow their own licenses.

Mediterr J Med Med Sci

Share this page
Page Sections