The Threat of Climate Change on Tick-Borne Infections: Rising Trend of Infections and Geographic Distribution of Climate Risk Factors Associated With Ticks

Abstract

Given that no exact cause has been reported for the rapid increase of tick-borne infections in South Korea, the impact of climate and environmental changes on tick-borne infections is investigated, and potential high-risk areas are identified at the refined resolution. Ticks transmit a wide range of pathogens. The spread of tick-borne infections is an emerging, yet often overlooked, threat in the context of climate change. The infections have rapidly increased over the past few years in South Korea despite no significant changes in socioeconomic circumstances. We investigated the impact of climate change on the surge of tick-borne infections and identified potential disease hot spots at a resolution of 5 km by 5 km. A composite index was constructed based on multiple climate and environmental indicators and compared with the observed tick-borne infections. The surge of tick-borne episodes corresponded to the rising trend of the index over time. High-risk areas identified by the index can be used to prioritize locations for disease prevention activities. Monitoring climate risk factors may provide an opportunity to predict the spread of the infections in advance.