Consumption and international trade increase the risk of malaria spread

2020/03/09 Agirre Ruiz de Arkaute, Aitziber - Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Ingurumena
• Ekonomia
• Biologia
• Ekologia

Researchers from the Universities of Didney and Sao Paulo have shown that deforestation increases malaria transmission. Thus, the use of coffee, tobacco, cocoa, palm oil, soy, cotton and wood that are causing deforestation has been directly linked to the spread of malaria, which represents 20% of the risk of malaria, according to the researchers.

90% of malaria appears in tropical rainforests in the Amazon, Congo and Mekong, and deforestation has led to mosquito proliferation. The World Health Organization has pointed out the need to design a comprehensive programme to ensure vector control, with an estimated 228 million malaria cases worldwide, 405,000 of which died.

The authors of the study pointed out that we must have a greater awareness of what we consume and buy, and that the consumption of sustainable productions only ensures that deforestation does not increase anymore. The study was published in the journal Nature Communications.