Kenya: Malaria Spread Blamed On Global Warming

A sharp increase in malaria outbreaks in Kericho and throughout the East African highlands may be a by-product of global warming, a team of US scientists suggests.

Their study of temperature records in highland areas since the 1970s found an overall warming trend of 0.5 degrees Celsius. And although this change is small, its apparent effect on mosquito populations has been large, the researchers say.

A computer simulation indicates that the observed temperature rise has led to a 40 per cent increase in the number of mosquitoes in Kericho and doubling of the number in Kabale, Uganda.

"Malaria is indeed affecting more and more residents of Kenya's highlands, where cool temperatures have in the past meant that mosquito abundance is typically very low," notes ecologist Mercedes Pascual. The frequency of severe malaria cases on Kericho's tea estates soared from 16 per 1,000 people in 1986 to 120 per 1,000 in 1998.