Our changing environment has many challenges, and there is always a new one. One of the most recent is a huge increase in dengue, a potentially fatal disease that causes mosquitoes.
This increase occurs at a time when the Trump administration has considerably reduced climate and health research. According to Yale climatic connectionsThis unfortunate pairing could present serious risks for countless Americans.
What’s going on?
THE Disease control centers reported What about 3,500 American travelers contracted dengue in 2024, an 84% peak compared to the previous year. Dengue’s epidemics were also declared to Porto Rico and the US virgin islands last year and continued in 2025. In the United Kingdom, there was a 50% increase in travel related to travel, by Yale.
This epidemic is directly connected With the rise in temperatures on our planet and increased floods, which both allow mosquitoes carrying dengue to prosper. Research on this link is crucial to understand how to stem the virus wave, but this research has become much more difficult to conduct.
Trump administration Recently reduced the budget At the National Institutes of Health of $ 18 billion. He also announced that the CDC budget would be almost divided by two and that 10,000 members of his workforce would be dismissed. These institutions are vital for health and climate research, not only in America but in the world.
Why are these budget cuts important?
NIH is the greatest source of medical research financing on the planet. The organization of climate change and health initiative has carried out crucial research on the health effects of a climate changing to its Funding was cut at the start of this year.
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The CDC climate and health program helps public health agencies of all sizes to prepare for the health impacts of the increase in global temperatures, as dengue. The agency’s financing is reduced by billions and its workforce should be reduced by 20%.
These cuts, associated with an increase in dengue, could lead to a significant epidemic of the virus.
“The disease does not have national borders”, a American vector biologist Who wishes to remain anonymous said, by Yale. “I fear that if we are not studying it, we will just watch it continue to occur and that we will not be prepared.”
What is it in the dengue epidemic?
There is no treatment for dengue, which means Prevention is essential. The CDC recommends being aware of the health risks associated with vacation destinations. The agency too recommended Use an insectifuge, wearing loose clothing and taking measurements to control the mosquitoes around your home, like removing the standing water where they lay their eggs.
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