Climate Change and Switzerland 2050 - OcCC - SCNAT

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Climate Change and Switzerland 2050 | Health 77 Tick-borne diseases How the frequency of tick-borne diseases will change is not clear. The distribution of ticks is limited by a low temperature threshold; in warmer regions the occurrence of ticks is limited by aridity. A temperature increase influences the period of activity of ticks, as well as possibly the infection rate and the leisure time activities of people. Currently, an increase in tick-borne encephalitis can be observed. Climate change may have a stronger impact on the distribution of already domestic diseases, such as the tick-borne borreliosis (bacterial disease) and encephalitis (acute inflammation of the brain), than on exotic diseases. In Switzerland, encephalitis cases have become more numerous in the last decades (see fig. 4). However, a direct relationship between the annual fluctuations of cases and temperature is not apparent. In Austria, encephalitis cases have decreased within the last years thanks to the thorough immunisation program. The distribution of tick-borne diseases depends on the distribution of ticks, as well as on the distribution of the borreliosis bacteria and the tick-borne encephalitis virus. Both are influenced by climatic factors. In Switzerland, the distribution of ticks is limited amongst other things by the low temperature threshold. Milder winters favour the chance of survival of ticks and their host animals, and enable ticks to advance to higher elevations. Rising temperatures influence the spread of diseasecausing organisms. Thus, a decline is expected in the incidence of encephalitis in Switzerland, due to the rise in summer temperatures and Number of reported cases 300 250 200 150 100 50 Nombre de cas annoncés 0 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 Year the decrease in humidity. This decline would not result from the disappearance of ticks from the region but from the interruption of a continued occurrence of the virus within the tick population, and therefore the possible transmission to humans. With a warming of 2 to 3 °C by 2050, Switzerland could become free of tick-borne encephalitis at lower altitudes. However, this prediction is contradictory to what has been observed up to now. Apart from the distribution of ticks, encephalitis virus and borreliosis bacteria, climate change also affects other factors that are important for the spread of tick-borne diseases. For instance, outdoor temperature strongly influences people’s leisure time activities and leisurewear. Measures Measures against tick-borne diseases include the observation and monitoring of their distribution. Data on distribution and transmission of tickborne meningitis are incomplete, which makes monitoring more difficult. Observations of the continuing development could be improved by introducing an obligation to report borreliosis cases. Fig. 4: Number of reported cases of tick-borne encephalitis (acute inflammation of the brain) in Switzerland 1984–2006. (Data source: Federal Office of Public Health FOPH)
78 Climate Change and Switzerland 2050 | Health Literature and notes 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Schär C., Vidale P.L., Lüthi D., Frei C., Haeberli C., Liniger M.A. and Appenzeller C., 2004: The role of increasing temperature variability in European summer heatwaves. Nature, 427, 332–336. Scherrer S.C., Appenzeller C., Liniger M.A., Schär C., 2005: European temperature distribution changes in observations and climate change scenarios. Geophys. Res. Lett., 32 (L19705) Grize L. et al.: Heat wave 2003 and mortality in Switzerland. Swiss Medical Weekly No.13–14, 2005. Ramsey J. D., 1995: Task performance in heat: a review. Ergonomics 38(1), 154–165. Wenzel H. G., 1985: Klima und Arbeit. Bayrisches Staatsministerium für Arbeit und Sozialordnung, München, 112–118. Bundesamt für Gesundheit (Hrsg.), 2005: Schutz bei Hitzewelle. Heisse Tage – kühle Köpfe. Bern, BAG. (siehe auch www.Hitzewelle.ch) OcCC, 2003: Extremereignisse und Klimaänderung. Bern, OcCC. Thommen O., Ch. Braun-Fahrländer: Gesundheitliche Auswirkungen der Klimaänderung mit Relevanz für die Schweiz. Institut für Sozial- und Präventivmedizin der Universität Basel, November 2004.
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