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Review
. 2025 Apr 24;47(1):25.
doi: 10.1007/s00281-025-01050-z.

Mothers and mosquitoes: climate change contributes to the spread of vector-borne pathogens posing a substantial threat to pregnant women

Pauline Wiemers  1 , Isabel Graf  1   2 , Marylyn M Addo  3   4   5 , Petra C Arck  6   7   8 , Anke Diemert  9   10   11
Affiliations
Review

Mothers and mosquitoes: climate change contributes to the spread of vector-borne pathogens posing a substantial threat to pregnant women

Pauline Wiemers et al. Semin Immunopathol. .

Abstract

Infectious diseases have threatened individuals and societies since the dawn of humanity. Certain population groups, including pregnant women, young children and the elderly, are particularly vulnerable to severe infections. Over the past few centuries, advances in medical standards and the availability of vaccines have reduced infection-related mortality and morbidity rates in industrialized countries. However, the global rise in temperatures and increased precipitation present a new challenge, facilitating the broader distribution of disease vectors, such as mosquitoes, bugs and ticks, to higher altitudes and latitudes. Consequently, epidemic and pandemic outbreaks associated with these vectors, such as Zika, West Nile, dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya and malaria, are increasingly impacting diverse populations. This review comprehensively examines how infections associated with climate change disproportionately affect the health and well-being of pregnant women and their unborn children. There has been a noticeable emergence of vector-borne diseases in Europe. Consequently, we stress the importance of implementing measures that effectively protect pregnant women from these increasing infections globally and regionally. We advocate for initiatives to safeguard pregnant women from these emerging threats, beginning with enhanced education to raise awareness about the evolving risks this particularly vulnerable population faces.

Keywords: Climate change; Fetal infection; Guidelines; Maternal immune activation; Maternal infection; Vector-borne diseases; Vertical transmission.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Competing interests: PA is the Editor-in-Chief of this Journal. Thus, an independent Editor was responsible for supervising the peer review process. This manuscript has not been given priority and has undergone the same peer-review process as other manuscripts in this Journal. The other authors have no competing interests to declare that are relevant to the content of this article.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The emergence of vector-borne diseases is mediated by a variety of factors including urbanization, deforestation, human behavioral shifts in migration and consequences of globalization such as increased traveling behavior. Besides, rising global temperatures and changing precipitation patterns associated with climate change are of big relevance as they enhance the replication rates of disease-carrying vectors, such as mosquitoes and other arthropod species. This extends the transmission periods at higher altitudes and latitudes and accelerates the replication rates of pathogens, including viruses and parasites. The resulting infections pose significant health risks, particularly affecting vulnerable populations such as pregnant women and their unborn children.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Generalized overview of the potential effects of vector-borne diseases on maternal and fetal health. The growing prevalence of pathogens transmitted by a variety of mosquito species can pose significant health risks for pregnant women and their developing fetuses. Addressing these challenges requires a comprehensive understanding of how climate-related changes influence pathogen dynamics and the implications for reproductive health outcomes. Purple = Implications of vector-borne infections on maternal health. Pink = Implications of vector-borne infections on fetal health
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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