Skip to main content Skip to secondary navigation
Main content start

The future of mosquito-borne diseases

A biologist and expert in infectious diseases explains why warmer and wetter weather will mean more tropical illnesses far beyond the tropics.
Photo of a mosquito on human skin.
Climate change doesn't only impact the weather patterns, but also the prevalence of mosquito populations and the diseases they spread. | Shutterstock/mycteria

Rising temperatures and rainfall from climate change will have a surprising effect on human health, says biologist Erin Mordecai, an expert in diseases borne by mosquitoes, ticks and other living creatures.

Such conditions are perfect breeding grounds for parasites that will bring deadly diseases to the U.S. and other places once thought out of reach. Hope may rest in mathematical models to guide smarter environmental policies, as Mordecai tells host Russ Altman on this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything podcast. 

Listen and subscribe here

oEmbed URL

Subscribe to The Future of Everything podcast