Scientists in the United Kingdom have warned of a new deadly virus from climate change that is likely to threaten high fatality rates. The Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) has arrived in the United Kingdom, according to the UK government’s Science, Innovation and Technology Committee.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), CCHF has a case fatality rate of 10-40% and is caused by a Bunyaviridae family tick-borne virus (Nairovirus). It is only found in Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East, and a few Asian nations. CCHF is also listed as a ‘priority’ illness by the WHO.

The head of veterinary medicine at Cambridge University predicted that the illness was quite likely to spread to the UK eventually. However, it might be challenging to pinpoint the virus’s kind and history. It’s very conceivable that some tick-borne diseases, including Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, may eventually spread through our ticks to the UK.

The likelihood that diseases like dengue, chikungunya, and malaria may spread more broadly and become a greater burden than they now are is rising as a result of climate change. The probability of it cannot be ruled out, but the experts acknowledged it would be premature to link the disorders to climate change. Health professionals claim that the rising temperature trend has an impact on how disease agents like viruses and their vectors spread.

The Link Between Climate Change and Deadly Virus

Threats from the climate are thought to have increased the virulence and transmission of several infections. For instance, the survival and biting rates of West Nile virus-carrying mosquitoes have increased in response to high temperatures. Through harsh weather conditions, emotional stress, decreased immunity, and hunger, these risks may further amplify the dangers and reduce people’s capacity to resist diseases.

According to recent research, by 2070, numerous new viruses will have spread across animal species due to climate change. This development might raise the possibility of newly developing infectious illnesses spreading from animals to people. It is anticipated that Asia and Africa will become hotspots for these lethal illnesses. A rising body of research demonstrates the connection between climate change and the threat of zoonotic diseases, or illnesses that are spread from animals to people.

Extreme weather conditions throughout the world have given several pathogens an energy boost. For example: As a result of longer rainy seasons, more frequent, catastrophic floods, and a favorable climate for mosquitoes, dengue disease infections have increased dramatically across Southeast Asia. The area of ticks that transmit Lyme disease is growing as North America’s temperatures rise. Additionally, they are improving the surroundings for bats and other potential Ebola hosts in Central Africa. Additionally, there are worries that greater rainfall unpredictability in South America may result in an increase in rodent-borne hantavirus illness cases.

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