Tropical Diseases

Tropical diseases are diseases that are prevalent in or unique to tropical and subtropical regions. These diseases are less prevalent in temperate climates, due in part to the occurrence of a cold season, which controls the insect population by forcing hibernation during the cold season.Insects such as mosquitoes and flies are by far the most common disease carrier or "vector". These insects may carry a parasite, bacterium or virus that is infectious to humans and animals. Most often disease is transmitted by an insect "bite", which causes transmission of the infectious agent through subcutaneous blood exchange. Vaccines are not available for any of the diseases listed here.

Some of the strategies for controlling tropical diseases include:

* Draining wetlands to reduce insect populations
* The application of insecticides (or to a lesser extent, perhaps insect repellents) to strategic surfaces such as: clothing, skin, buildings, insect habitats, and bed nets.
* The use of a mosquito net over a bed (also known as a "bed net"), to reduce nighttime transmission, since tropical mosquitoes often feed only at night.
* Use of water wells, and/or water filtration, water filters, or water treatment with water tablets to produce drinking water free of parasites.
* Development and use of vaccines to promote disease immunity
* Funding and subsidizing the use of medicinal treatments to treat disease after infection
* Assisting with economic development in endemic regions. For example by providing microloans to enable investments in more efficient and productive agriculture. This in turn can help subsistence farming to become more profitable, and these profits can be used by local populations for disease prevention and treatment, with the added benefit of reducing the poverty rate.[3]

Human exploration of tropical rainforests, deforestation, raising immigration and increased international air travel and other tourism to tropical regions has led to an increased incidence of such diseases.

Relation of climate to tropical diseases

The called "exotic" diseases in the tropics has long been noted both by travelers, explorers, etc., as well as by physicians. One obvious reason is that the hot climate present during all the year and the larger volume of rains directly affect the formation of breeding grounds, the larger number and variety of natural reservoirs and animal diseases that can be transmitted to humans (zoonosis), the largest number of possible insect vectors of diseases. It is possible also that higher temperatures may favor the replication of pathogenic agents both inside and outside biological organisms. Socio-economic factors may be also in operation, since most of the poorest nations of the world are in the tropics. Tropical countries like Brazil, which have improved their socio-economic situation and invested in hygiene, public health and the combat of transmissible diseases have achieved dramatic results in relation to the elimination or decrease of many endemic tropical diseases in their territory.[citation needed]

Climate change, and global warming caused by the greenhouse effect, and the resulting increase in global temperatures, are causing tropical diseases and vectors to spread to higher altitudes in mountainous regions, and to higher latitudes that were previously spared, such as the Southern United States, the Mediterranean area, etc