A new model suggests the warming climate will boost transmission of the West Nile virus and other mosquito-borne viruses in parts of the United States where temperatures are currently below the insects’ optimum range.
West Nile virus, which mosquitoes — as principal vectors — transmit to humans, first arrived in North America in 1999. Since then, it has become the most common mosquito-borne infection in the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
Scientific models at Stanford University, CA, now predict the virus will spread more easily in cooler parts of the country as average summer temperatures rise due to climate change.
Rising temperatures will also likely mean seasonal transmission of the virus starts earlier in spring and ends later in fall.
IS HIGHER COVID-19 MORTALITY IN BLACK ADULTS LINKED TO ESSENTIAL WORK?
A new study finds that performing many low paid but essential jobs puts people at higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. It also finds that Black people in the United States are more likely to have these higher risk jobs. This could expose them disproportionately to a higher risk of infection.
The research, which took place at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, reveals that non-Hispanic Black people were more likely than non-Hispanic white people to hold occupations considered essential, meaning that they continued to work during state lockdowns.
The team collected data on Covid-19 deaths between April 9 and April 24, 2020. At that time, a total of 35 states and the District of Columbia published the number of deaths by racial group.
This analysis adds to existing evidence that suggests higher Covid-19 mortality rates among non-Hispanic Black people.
LONELINESS ASSOCIATED WITH DIABETES RISK
A study of older adults in the United Kingdom finds that people who are lonely are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, independent of other risk factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and weight.
Loneliness, in which a person’s social needs are not met, may be on the rise. A recent report found that almost half of people in the United States sometimes or always feel alone.
Loneliness is even more common among younger generations, with almost 80% of Gen Z and more than 70% of millennials experiencing this feeling.
