The Impact of Climate Change on Infectious Disease Spread: Challenges and Responses

TheCOP30 report finds climate change is expanding geographic risk for vectorborne and zoonotic infections, pushing pathogens into previously unaffected regions and heightening outbreak potential across temperate and tropical-fringe zones.

Rising temperatures and altered rainfall are shifting mosquito and tick habitats and extending seasonality, widening transmission windows for West Nile virus, dengue, and chikungunya. Extreme-weather events create episodic breeding and exposure spikes, and climate-driven migration can amplify local vulnerability through overcrowding and reduced sanitation.

Surveillance and laboratory systems need to adapt: broaden diagnostic panels, update test-ordering algorithms to reflect newly at-risk regions, expand vector sampling, and plan surge capacity for public health laboratories. Because timely characterization is essential, genomic surveillance is a critical tool to detect introductions, track spread, and identify adaptive pathogen changes—shortening detection-to-response timelines and enabling earlier, targeted public-health action.

Regional cooperation strengthens these capabilities by enabling shareable genomic-data networks, cross-jurisdictional case definitions, and coordinated vector-control strategies that reduce diagnostic and response gaps. Practical steps include data-sharing agreements, standardized specimen referral pathways, interoperable reporting, and targeted workforce training to preserve testing continuity during surges. Together, coordinated investment and shared protocols yield faster, harmonized responses across borders and health systems.