Deadly viruses could become endemic in Europe unless urgent measures are taken, a leading expert has warned. Rising global temperatures driven by climate change are allowing mosquito-borne diseases, once confined to tropical regions, to spread across Europe.
Viruses such as Zika and dengue fever are increasingly making their way into new territories, posing a growing public health threat, the Express reports.Virologist Nerea Irigoyen Vergara, who has led a research team studying the Zika virus at the University of Cambridge since 2018, stressed the urgency of the situation.
The expert told Spanish newspaper El País: "If we don't prevent it now, dengue or Zika will become endemic in Europe."She urged immediate action, warning that the situation is worsening.
Vergara's concerns follow a deadly outbreak of West Nile virus in Andalusia, Spain, which claimed the lives of nine people.According to the virologist, the entire Mediterranean basin is "highly exposed" to mosquito-borne viruses.
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