Saturday Bite Fever

Dengue fever is a disease of truly epic proportions. More than one in three of the world's population is at risk from the mosquito-born sickness, which doles out fever, muscle pain and death to 50 million people a year. Weather can have a big effect on dengue's spread as changes in say, temperature or rainfall can help or hinder the mosquitoes that carry it from victim to victim. In Mexico (pictured), a computer model suggests that cases could grow by over a third as the climate warms to more insect-friendly temperatures. But it also highlights how economic development could be the country's greatest enemy for fighting the disease. As access to piped water increases, so do dengue rates, as people then create personal reservoirs that provide perfect breeding grounds for water-loving mosquitoes. A neat illustration of the multi-faceted dilemma country's face when trying to control disease in the 21st century.

Written by Jan Piotrowski

Jan Piotrowski

Writer

A recent Imperial College graduate with a Masters in Science Communication, Jan now works as a freelance science communicator. His interests focus on neuroscience, psychology and the environment.

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• Image by Norman Kuring from NASA's Ocean Color Team
• NASA
• Copyright held by NASA
• Research published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, November 2013