Climate change and mosquito-borne disease: knowing the horse before hitching the cart

Abstract

Speculations on the potential impacts of climate change on human health often focus on the mosquito-borne diseases but ignore the complex interplay of the multitude of factors that are generally dominant in the dynamics of their transmission. A holistic view of this complexity - particularly the ecology and behaviour of the host and the ecology and behaviour of the vector - is the only valid starting point for assessing the significance of climate in the prevalence and incidence of these diseases.