CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE RESURGENCE OF MALARIA: A REVIEW OF FUTURE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH RISKS

Abstract

Climate change has become a global health concern in the recent time, with a great impact on the epidemiology of the diseases which are transmitted by vectors. Malaria, as a disease caused by climate sensitive Anopheles mosquitoes and parasites, Plasmodium, is in danger of becoming a major threat in areas that were once controlled or malaria-free. The dynamics of climate change and malaria transmission have a complicated intersection, which is examined in this review article in order to comprehensively examine the future environmental health risk. Using a secondary methodological approach, this assessment is based on synthesizing the existing global and regional literature comprising the empirical field data, eco-hydrological modeling, and systematic reviews to examine the exact influence of the climatic and non-climatic factors. The evidence shows that increasing temperature increases the speed of mosquito gonotrophic cycles and also reduced the extrinsic incubation period of the parasite hence maximizing the transmission potential during 25-29°C. In addition to this, changing precipitation patterns are dual-purpose, with moderate precipitation creating more breeding space and extreme incidences leading to flushing of larvae temporarily. As a result, the geographical distribution of malaria is actively displacing towards the poles and elevation, along with significantly long seasonal epidemiologic periods. More importantly, these climatic drivers are synergistically enhanced by land-use transformations, profound socioeconomic susceptibility and biological adaptations like amplified drug and insecticide resistance. The review conclusively concludes that the resurgence of malaria is an issue of critical nexus of environmental risks and biological vulnerability. In order to curb this intensifying menace, international health institutions need to start shifting swiftly towards active emergency management to proactive and climate-responsive approaches. It is paramount to incorporate artificial intelligence to create predictive early warning measures, climate-aware surveillance, advanced vaccines and resilient infrastructure to maintain world eradication efforts in a world that is fast warming.