Warming and the Winged Assassin A Climate and Society Presentation By Elisaul Perdomo and Laura Bscher

What is Malaria?

Where is the Risk?

The Cost of Malaria 1 About 3.3 billion people - half of the world's population - are at risk of malaria. Every year, this leads to about 250 million malaria cases and nearly one million deaths. People living in the poorest countries are the most vulnerable. 2 One in five (20%) of all childhood deaths in Africa are due to malaria. It is estimated that an African child has on average between 1.6 and 5.4 episodes of malaria fever each year. Every 30 seconds a child dies from malaria in Africa. 3 Malaria causes an average loss of 1.3% of annual economic growth in countries with intense transmission. It traps families and communities in a downward spiral of poverty, disproportionately affecting marginalized and poor people who cannot afford treatment or who have limited access to health care. 4 Malaria has lifelong effects through increased poverty and impaired learning. It cuts attendance at schools and workplaces. However, it is preventable and curable.

Method of Attack CAUSED BY: Plasmodium LOCATION: Tropical Regions TYPE:  Vector Borne Disease    TRANSMITTED BY:  Anopheles Mosquito Diagram from: Thomas, Peter. (n.d.). Rotarian against malaria - solomon islands. Retrieved from http://www.ramguadalcanal.com.sb/Images/malariacycle.jpg

In a Changing Climate Factors Influencing Malaria Spread: TEMPERATURE  Increasing PERCIPITATION  Changing Pattern ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION  More CO2

Future Trends It is estimated that malaria transmission will increase between 12-27% based on the IPCC future temperature estimates (1.8°C) for the next 100 years  The IPCC suggests that increasing global temperatures will probably lead to an increase in global evaporation and to a corresponding increase in mean global precipitation. As droughts and floods would become more common in wet and dry areas, respectively, radically increasing the amount of stagnant water pools in both cases.

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