How climate change may influence malaria transmission

Climate change and rising temperatures have the potential to reshape the current malaria geography, says PhD student Nancy Kassam, Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre, Tanzania.

In a collaboration between the University of Copenhagen and the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College (KCMUCo), Nancy Kassam´s study is part of the Building Stronger Universities (BSU) programme. The study aims at understanding the malaria transmission in highland areas of Tanzania in the face of changing climate.

Malaria cannot be transmitted below 18 degrees and highland areas like lower Moshi in Tanzania have traditionally been characterized by low malaria risk. But now, with rising temperatures there is a risk of a malaria rebound. Nancy Kassam and her colleagues’ research therefore focus on how much climate and temperature are a determining factor in malaria transmission in highland areas like Lower Moshi.

At a global scale, the fight against malaria has been successful, especially during the last two decades and especially in Africa. Still, Africa accounts for 90% of the world’s malaria cases and deaths, and changes in malaria transmission patterns might endanger this progress. Nancy Kassam and her colleagues’ work is therefore important because it will give insights into the current malaria geography dynamics in Lower Moshi and elsewhere.

Read more about Building Stronger Universities, BSU here  

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