Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Mar 4;76(5):950-956.
doi: 10.1093/cid/ciac697.

Climate Change and the Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases in the United States

Paul J Edelson  1 , Rachel Harold  2 , Joel Ackelsberg  3 , Jeffrey S Duchin  4   5 , Steven J Lawrence  6 , Yukari C Manabe  7 , Matt Zahn  8 , Regina C LaRocque  9
Affiliations

Climate Change and the Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases in the United States

Paul J Edelson et al. Clin Infect Dis. .

Abstract

The earth is rapidly warming, driven by increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide and other gases that result primarily from fossil fuel combustion. In addition to causing arctic ice melting and extreme weather events, climatologic factors are linked strongly to the transmission of many infectious diseases. Changes in the prevalence of infectious diseases not only reflect the impacts of temperature, humidity, and other weather-related phenomena on pathogens, vectors, and animal hosts but are also part of a complex of social and environmental factors that will be affected by climate change, including land use, migration, and vector control. Vector- and waterborne diseases and coccidioidomycosis are all likely to be affected by a warming planet; there is also potential for climate-driven impacts on emerging infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance. Additional resources for surveillance and public health activities are urgently needed, as well as systematic education of clinicians on the health impacts of climate change.

Keywords: One Health; climate change; epidemiology; infectious diseases; public health.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Potential conflicts of interest. R. H. reports serving as a part-time consultant for the Medical Society Consortium for Climate and Health. P. J. E. reports payment for expert testimony for the Andrews Law Group, Tampa, FL. R. C. L. reports grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC; U01-CK000633), royalties for chapters from UpToDate, providing editorial services for the CDC Foundation, and is a board member for Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility. All other authors report no potential conflicts. All authors have submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest. Conflicts that the editors consider relevant to the content of the manuscript have been disclosed.

Comment in