SYDNEY, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Climate change could cause more than 100 million additional malaria cases and 500,000 extra deaths across Africa by 2050, new research has revealed.
Modelling shows extreme weather disruptions could drive 79 percent of additional malaria cases and 93 percent of deaths across Africa by 2050, mainly from floods and cyclones damaging homes, bednets and health services, said a statement of The Kids Research Institute Australia on Thursday.
The study, published in Nature on Wednesday by the institute and Australia's Curtin University, analyzed 25 years of data on climate, malaria burden, control interventions, socioeconomic indicators, and extreme weather patterns across Africa.
Most previous studies focused on climate change's direct effects on mosquitoes and parasites, said study lead author, Associate Professor Tasmin Symons, a member of the Malaria Atlas Project, a research group based at the institute.
This research shows extreme weather poses the greatest threat to malaria control by repeatedly damaging housing, health services and interventions that suppress transmission, Symons said.
"While changes in transmission ecology are real, they are comparatively small. When those changes are combined with repeated disruption to malaria control, the impacts become substantial," she said.
Researchers urge embedding climate resilience into malaria policies and health planning to sustain progress toward eradication. ■
