Deforestation Triggers Malaria Outbreaks in Brazil

Thu Jun 17, 2010
Source: Discovery News

It's no secret that the Amazon rain forest is in trouble. Deforestation at the hands of logging and agriculture has beat back this crucial natural resource, which sucks greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere, steadies global climate patterns, and is home to an incredible diversity of animals and plants.

And just in case you were not convinced that cutting down the Amazon is a bad thing, scientists just came up with one more reason: deforestation spreads malaria.

According to the World Health Organization, half of the world’s population is at risk for malaria. In Brazil, malaria is the most prevalent insect-transmitted disease with nearly 1.4 million cases reported in 2006.

In response, the country established a comprehensive malaria surveillance program. Jonathan Patz from the University of Wisconsin and others used data from the program to compare malaria outbreaks with land use changes.

Their results were shocking. A 4.2 percent change in deforestation yielded a 48 percent increase in malaria incidence, according to a study recently published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.

The mosquito Anopheles darlingi, the main transmitter of malaria in Brazil, thrives in recently deforested areas because the regions provide more sunlight and better water habitats for the insidious insects.

The study “further shows that rainforest conservation policy should be a key component to any malaria control effort in the region,” Patz told Discovery News.