Global Warming

2 Pages 538 Words

Global Warming and The West Nile Virus
By: M.L.M.

The increase in the population of the world may be affecting us in more ways than previously thought. The usage of fossil fuels increases as the population increases. When a baby is born the immediate need for fossil fuels are increased. One example of this is the immediate need for fuel used to heat the water for the baby’s bottles, bath, and the water required to wash its clothes. This newborn may reach adulthood and begin to drive, yet another increase in fossil fuels. The increase in population is directly related to global warming based on the fact that as the population increases, the burning of fossil fuel is increased. Also, global warming is a direct cause for the increase and spread of disease around the world. Global warming changes the weather patterns around the world. Northern areas of the globe have increased rainfall while mid and southern portions suffer from increasingly milder winters and droughts. While mid and southern portions of the globe suffer from these effects of global warming, there is another life threatening effect of global warming hidden from obvious view; The West Nile Virus. The West Nile Virus, originally identified in Uganda in 1933, is transmitted mainly from one species of mosquito (Culex Pipiens) to birds and occasionally humans. These urban mosquitoes only lay their eggs in the turbid waters of cities. This water remains stagnant and turbid because of the lack of rain in the area. Normal rainfalls would wash these areas out and prevent the stagnant water form becoming turbid. Due to global warming, drought conditions have allowed the rotting organic material to remain in these turbid pools of water and feed the Culex Pipiens larva. Once the mosquito larva has hatched from the turbid water and bites an infected bird, it has the ability to infect several other birds with the West Nile Virus. The West Nile Virus develops inside an infected an...