Europe has registered a record number of outbreaks of mosquito-borne illnesses such as chikungunya and West Nile virus this year as climate change contributes to a "new normal," the EU health agency said Wednesday.
Europe is experiencing longer and more intense transmission seasons for mosquito-borne diseases, said the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
"This shift is driven by climatic and environmental factors such as rising temperatures, longer summer seasons, milder winters and changes in rainfall patterns — conditions that combine to create a favorable environment for mosquitoes to thrive and transmit viruses," it said in a statement.
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