Climate change could bring Zika and malaria to Britain, the Department of Health fears

Climate change could bring Zika and malaria to Britain, the Department of Health fears, and has announced a multi-million pound research fund to tackle the health effects of global warming.

Currently deadly diseases spread by mosquitoes are confined to warmer climates, because the insects cannot survive in chillier northern areas.

But temperatures are rising and by 2040 the average daily temperature in the UK is expected to by between 0.5C and 1C hotter than today. In February conditions hit 69.8F (21C) in West London, making it the first British winter to have ever passed 68F (20C).

Now the Department of Health has announced up to £56 million for research into issues such as the potential health impacts of climate change, air pollution, and global pandemics. The department is concerned that climate change will lead to more extremes of hot and cold weather which could have a serious impact on the health of the nation.

Health Minister Nicola Blackwood said: “We’ve just seen the warmest February day on record and we have a duty to the public to consider the health challenges climate change brings.

“This new investment will unlock further solutions to some of the biggest challenges facing the health and care system over the next five years, aiming to drastically improve all of our lives.

“From the eradication of smallpox, record low smoking rates and ever increasing life expectancy, the UK’s public health record is a roll call of successes which has saved the lives of millions.”

This week new research by Oxford University concluded that over the next 30 years, insect-borne diseases like dengue, yellow fever and malaria could pose a risk to half the world’s population.

One of the main disease spreading mosquitoes -  Aedes albopictus or the tiger mosquito is already present in northern Italy and southern France and moving North  around 93 miles a year.

Scientists are being invited to apply to work alongside Public Health England (PHE) to form a new wave of Health Protection Research Units (HPRUs). The current research units have already helped screen Salisbury residents after the Novichok nerve agent attack as well as developing tools to quickly diagnose tuberculosis.

Professor Chris Whitty, National Institutes of Health Research (NIHR) lead and Chief Scientific Adviser for the Department of Health, said: “Tackling threats to public health like air pollution and antimicrobial resistance relies on cutting-edge research and up-to-date evidence.

“The new NIHR Health Protection Research Units will lead the way in producing the evidence needed to inform policy and safeguard public health, as well as building research capacity in this important field so that we can tackle the challenges of the future.”