Donations
If you would like to make a donation to the Great Fen Project, please contact Jane Cabutti, the Campaign Manager, on 01954 713500
Frequently asked questions
Is there a threat from Malaria?
This is highly unlikely. Malaria is a serious disease that occurs where a wide variety of factors work together to enable the disease to spread. It is limited mainly to tropical regions but some have questioned whether global warming will enable malaria to spread to temperate regions, including Europe. The factors required for Malaria are as follows:
- The presence of the malaria parasite
- A carrier of the disease - certain species of mosquitoes
- Habitats for the mosquitoes to breed
- Suitable temperatures for the mosquitoes and the malaria parasite
First of all it should be noted that conditions for malaria in the Fens have always existed, and still exist, yet Malaria has long since disappeared. This is due to a number of reasons:
Changes in lifestyle. One of the main carriers of malaria in the fens was the Anopheles maculipennis group. This group of mosquitoes has to survive winter in the adult form. When malaria existed people and stock lived in very close proximity and this enabled the mosquito to move between humans and animals and feed enough to get through winter. Now there is much less stock in the Fens and these are kept separate from humans. Drainage of wetlands. Obviously, the more wetlands (of certain types), the more mosquitoes there will be. The Great Fen Project will be creating a variety of wetlands and some of these will enable the mosquitoes to breed. However, these habitats already exist in the fens in general and in the project area. Overall the increase mosquito population relative to current levels is unlikely to be significant.
Mosquito survival. In temperate regions such as the UK, mosquitoes feed roughly once every 3 weeks. Survival of the mosquito for this length of time is not guaranteed. The malaria parasite has also to have matured enough to infect the next person. This is not guaranteed. Furthermore, winter freezing kills off many mosquitoes and eggs, preventing a sustained outbreak of malaria. Infection. There are some 2000 cases of malaria in the UK each year. All but about 60 of these people contract the disease whilst in a foreign country. These cases are typically found in areas of the country were there is a large population of people from tropical regions. The remaining 60 people are often found near airports and were probably affected by mosquitoes that arrived in the country by plane. The reservoir of infected people is therefore very small, and isolated from the fens.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is the UN appointed body looking at all aspects of climate change. They have gathered research about malaria and so far there is no evidence to suggest that rising temperatures will significantly affect the spread of malaria. You can read more about the work of the IPCC here...
Lastly it should be recognised that Malaria is a problem in poor countries where there is inadequate healthcare and education. Researchers agree that potential new areas for malaria due to climate change will not translate into actual ones, partly because healthcare systems of rich countries can easily cope with any infections.
