Will climate change worsen Ebola outbreaks?

Washington Post ^ | 8-5-2014 | Angela Fritz and Jason Samenow

[Citizen Zed]

The Ebola outbreak is “out of control” in parts of West Africa, says the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Could climate change hasten the spread of the deadly virus?  Perhaps, but the linkages are complicated, according to limited scientific literature on the topic.

Ebola is a disease caused by the Ebola virus. Scientists don’t currently know how the disease originates, nor how to cure it. They know the virus is transmitted via contact with an infected animal. It appears that in most cases, Ebola outbreaks begin when humans eat infected bush meat — wild animals like bats and monkeys – which is cooked and used for sustenance in regions where food is scarce.

Scientific and health organizations have long held that climate change poses risks to human health, that warming may expand the range of certain water- and air-borne diseases. For example, given that it thrives in warm water, Cholera has been found to correlate with rising sea surface temperature.  And while adaptive measures like improved medical care and vaccines could control their spread, Malaria, Dengue fever, and Lyme disease are all expected to expand in geographical area as global temperature increases, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

[The Great RJ]

Don’t forget that the CIA developed the Ebola virus and the Black Death was caused by Medieval Republicans and their farting war horses.