Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

West Nile virus and the climate

  • Special Feature: West Nile Virus: Public Health Issues Raised by an Emerging Illness
  • Published:
Journal of Urban Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

West Nile virus is transmitted by urban-dwelling mosquitoes to birds and other animals, with occasional “spillover” to humans. While the means by which West Nile virus was introduced into the Americas in 1999 remain unknown, the climatic conditions that amplify diseases that cycle among urban mosquitoes, birds, and humans are warm winters and spring droughts. This information can be useful in generating early warning systems and mobilizing timely and the most environmentally friendly public health interventions. The extreme weather conditions accompanying long-term climate change may also be contributing to the spread of West Nile virus in the United States and Europe.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Albritton DL, Allen MR, Baede APM, et al.Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Working Group I Summary for Policy Makers, Third Assessment Report: Climate Change 2001: The Scientific Basis. Available at: http://www.ipcc.ch. Accessed 2001.

  2. Easterling DR, Meehl GA, Parmesan C, Changnon SA, Karl TR, Mearns LO. Climate extremes: observations, modeling, and impacts.Science. 2000;289:2068–2074.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Levitus S, Antonov JI, Boyer TP, Stephens C. Warming of the world ocean.Science. 2000;287:2225–2229.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Parkinson CL, Cavalieri DJ, Gloersen P, Zwally HJ, Comiso JC. Spatial distribution of trends and seasonality in the hemispheric sea ice covers.J Geophys Res. 1999;104(C9): 20827–20835.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Rothrock DA, Yu Y, Marykut GA. Thinning of the Arctic Sea ice cover.J Geophys Res Lett. 1999;26:3469–3472.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Epstein P. Is global warming harmful to health?Sci Am. 2000;283(2):50–57.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Monath TP, Tsai TF. St. Louis encephalitis: lessons from the last decade.Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1987;37:40s-59s.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. World Health Organization.The World Health Report 1996: Fighting Disease, Fostering Development. Geneva, Switzerland; World Health Organization; 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  9. McMichael AJ, Haines A, Slooff R, eds.Climate Change and Human Health. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization, World Meteorological Organization, United Nations Environmental Program; 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Houghton J, Meiro Filho LG, Callander BA, Harris N, Kattenberg A, Maskell K (eds.).Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 1996. Climate Change 1995: The Science of Climate Change. Contribution of Working Group I to the Second Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Paul R. Epstein.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Epstein, P.R. West Nile virus and the climate. J Urban Health 78, 367–371 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1093/jurban/78.2.367

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jurban/78.2.367

Keywords

Navigation