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Climate Crisis Drives Alarming Spread of Deadly Diseases Globally
14 Nov
Summary
- Yellow fever and dengue cases spike in South America
- Dengue cases reach record highs in Europe
- Climate change expands range of disease-carrying mosquitoes
As the COP30 climate summit takes place in Belém, Brazil, experts are sounding the alarm on the alarming spread of deadly diseases driven by the climate crisis. In South America, there have been 356 cases of yellow fever and 152 deaths so far in 2025, the largest outbreak since 1960. This comes on the heels of one of Brazil's worst dengue years, with nearly 6.5 million cases and 5,000 deaths reported in 2024.
The situation is equally dire in Europe, which saw a startling 304 dengue cases last year - more than the previous 15 years combined. Both yellow fever and dengue are transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, which thrive in warmer, wetter conditions fueled by climate change. Experts warn that as global temperatures rise and extreme weather events become more frequent, disease-carrying mosquitoes are expanding their range, putting more people at risk.
In response, the UN has declared "health day" at COP30 and unveiled a new Belém Health Action Plan to help countries bolster their disease surveillance, preparedness, and response capabilities. However, health advocates say much more must be done to address the direct human toll of the climate crisis, with former US Vice President Al Gore noting that rising heat is already killing one person per minute worldwide.
