Climate Change Impacts on the Prevalence of Tick-Borne Diseases in Europe
Maria Tsoumani, Sevastiani I. Papailia, Effie Papageorgiou, Chrysa Voyiatzaki
Abstract
Climate change (changes in temperature and weather patterns) plays a significant role in the outbreak of tick-borne diseases such as Lyme borreliosis (LB) disease and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) in Europe. The prevalence of LB disease has increased lately and TBE, one of the most serious infections of the central nervous system, significantly affects public health. Changes in abiotic factors are the main determinants affecting their vectors. The warmer weather during winter has prolonged the extension of the period in which ticks are most active. Therefore, the increased risk of transmission of tick-borne diseases influenced by the climate conditions could be determined by advanced climate models.