Reviewing Evidence and Research Trends on Climate Change and Infectious Disease

Abstract

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has expressed high confidence in the amplification of health threats worldwide due to climate change, a sentiment supported by the close linkage between the life cycles of many infectious agents and climate variables. Various studies have demonstrated that fluctuations in temperature, precipitation, and humidity exert significant influence on the transmission and distribution of infectious diseases. However, the precise magnitude, direction, and strength of this impact on infectious disease transmission remain ambiguous. To elucidate the necessary avenues for advancing research in this area, it is often imperative to synthesize existing literature. This retrospective, systematic analysis of literature within a specific field, commonly known as a systematic review, serves as a popular and effective method for identifying trends and gaps in ongoing research. Findings from systematic reviews, along with scoping studies that map the availability of literature on a particular topic, are instrumental in guiding future research directions and policy decisions, particularly in rapidly evolving scientific fields like epidemiology.

Despite their effectiveness, systematic reviews are notably scarce in the domain of anthropogenic climate change research, particularly concerning its impact on infectious diseases. Therefore, there exists a pressing need for a systematic synthesis of recent empirical research assessing the disease impacts of climate change. In this context, we aim to present a synthesis of scientific literature on the nexus between climate change and infectious diseases from recent years. Our overarching objective is to discern the trends in recent empirical research concerning the impacts of climate change on infectious diseases and to identify any geographic, topical, or taxonomic trends within this research landscape. We intend to evaluate the geographic regions where the intersection of climate change and disease transmission has been understudied, considering both the study area and the affiliations of the first authors to identify geographical and bibliometric signals. Additionally, we will assess the taxa of hosts and transmission types of pathogens studied. Ultimately, our endeavor is to provide insights that can inform future research directions, policies, and practices based on the trends and impacts identified within the literature.