Climate Change Exacerbating Risk Of Mosquito-Borne Diseases In California, Experts Say

The Los Angeles Times (9/30, Lin) reports, “Climate change is exacerbating the risk of potentially dangerous mosquito-borne diseases in California – threatening to turn more of those annoying-but-harmless bites into severe illnesses, experts say.” The state “already grapples with West Nile virus,” but “officials are now warning of a potential new foe: dengue.” Until 2023, “all dengue cases reported in California were associated with people traveling to a country where the disease is common.” However, “Los Angeles County public health officials are now warning about the ‘unprecedented’ local transmission of dengue, which is commonly found in tropical and subtropical climates.”