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Climate change is helping to spread dangerous diseases, including malaria and Lyme disease, as warming temperatures are allowing pathogens to travel farther and more quickly than before.

Obviously, we need to continue to push for a global climate treaty in Copenhagen this December to deter these conditions from worsening, but we also need to look at ways to prepare regions to combat these diseases, including halting deforestation, which brings humans in closer contact with disease-carrying wildlife.  Many of these pathogens pose a serious and frightening threat, but with proper precautions, distribution of medical supplies and a strong climate accord we can hopefully combat the rising incidents.

According to Sonia Shah’s new report in Yale Environment 360:

As humans increasingly encroach on forested lands and as temperatures rise, the transmission of disease from animals and insects to people is growing. Now a new field, known as “conservation medicine,” is exploring how ecosystem disturbance and changing interactions between wildlife and humans can lead to the spread of new pathogens.

Some of the spreading diseases scientists and health authorities are concerned about include:

- Ticks that transmit Lyme disease are spreading northward in Canada and Sweden to places previously too cold for them to inhabit.

- Mosquitos that carry malaria have become problematic in regions that hadn’t been warm enough before, including South Korea, East African highlands, Peru’s rainforest and Papa New Guinea.

Use the action links below to find out how you can help fight the climate crisis and to donate a bednet to help protect against malaria.