MOSQUITOES carrying the deadly Zika virus could migrate to Britain because of global warming, scientists predict.
The insects may be lured north from tropical regions by warmer, more humid air.
Getty – Contributor
It would see up to one billion extra people across the UK, Europe and Canada exposed to mozzie-borne viruses for the first time by 2080.
Scientists tracked the expected movement of common disease-bearing mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, if temperatures keep rising.
The insects can carry viruses Zika, chikungunya and dengue fever which at its worst can cause haemorrhaging.
There is no vaccine for the first two and only a few in trial for dengue. And populations that have never faced these diseases have not built up immunity.
Getty Images
Getty – Contributor
THE ‘CURSED’ CHILD A MUM WON’T LOVE
Heartbreaking photos show the premature baby whose mum won’t hold or feed her
LIFE-SAVING OP
Baby girl born with her parasitic twin’s HEAD attached to her tummy undergoes surgery to remove it
Life-saving advice
Here are the five things you should do IMMEDIATELY if someone goes into anaphylactic shock
the kiss of death
Allergic woman died after just one smooch with boyfriend after he ate a peanut butter sandwich
Study co-author Colin Carlson, of Georgetown University in Washington DC, said mosquitoes will find it “pretty easy” to spread with two degrees of warming.
In the worst-case scenario, the world will be 8.5C hotter by the end of the century. He added: “Many people may face exposure to such viruses for the first time in their lives — a particular worry.”
