Finnish Professor Warns of Risk of Exotic Viruses Due to Climate Change
Climate change is creating new infectious disease risks for Finland, as ticks and mosquitoes carrying viruses spread northward.
Research professor Hilppa Gregow from the Finnish Meteorological Institute has warned that global warming will bring new infectious disease risks to Finland. In an interview with Yle, she noted that ticks carrying Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis have already spread to northern Finland, whereas in the 1990s they were only found in the south.
According to Gregow, if warming continues, new viruses currently common in southern Europe could reach central Europe within 20 years, and Finland within 40 years. For example, the Asian tiger mosquito, which carries dangerous viruses like dengue fever, has already reached Berlin and may continue spreading northward.
New mosquito-borne and zoonotic diseases have already emerged in Europe, including tularemia and West Nile virus. Gregow emphasized the need for preparedness: knowing the symptoms of these infections and appropriate actions.
