Climate change is influencing the transmission and burden of many infectious diseases worldwide. Rising temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns, and more frequent extreme weather events affect how pathogens, vectors and disease hosts interact. These changes are altering the geographic ranges and seasonal activity of disease-carrying organisms such as mosquitoes and ticks, and influence the growth and survival of bacteria and other pathogens in food and water systems.
Infectious diseases that are sensitive to climate can be grouped into: vector-borne diseases (transmitted via mosquitos, ticks etc.), waterborne diseases (transmitted through viruses or bacteria in water), and food-borne diseases (spread through pathogens in food). In 2022 scientists stated a clear observation that "the occurrence of climate-related food-borne and waterborne diseases has increased."