Tuva's Tick Problem

A rise in global temperature has brought on a rise in diseases spread by ticks--diseases that can be fatal. An Oxfam report out this week warns that the health implications of climate change must be taken seriously.

Ticks are second only to mosquitoes for carrying disease. Tick-born encephalitis, or as the Brits call it, enkeffalytus, attacks the nervous system, and can lead to meningitis, brain inflammation, and death. The illness has been found in 27 countries, stretching from mainland Europe across Russia to Japan. As average temperature climbs, so do the number of ticks along with incidence of infection.

Tuva, in southern Siberia, is now estimated to have six times the rate of infection than elsewhere in Russia. Angela Robson reported for BBC’s Health Check from Kyzyl, Tuva’s capital.

Listen to Angela's report at the BBC website

(Photo by azarius via Flickr/Creative Commons)