The climate is a known driver of many infectious diseases. For directly-transmitted infections, such as influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the climate determines seasonal patterns of infection and geographic differences in epidemic intensity. Given this relationship, climate change could play a role in altering future infection patterns, however key questions remain. In this talk, I will discuss the implications of climate change for directly-transmitted diseases, and the differing role climate plays for endemic diseases versus pandemic outbreaks such as SARS-CoV-2.
Dr. Rachel Baker is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the High Meadows Environmental Institute at Princeton University. She specializes in Climate Science and Modeling, Public Health, and Infectious Disease. Her research focuses on environmental studies, epidemiology, economics and policy; effect of environment and climate change on health outcomes, including indirect effects on economic circumstances and direct effects on disease transmission, mortality or otherwise; nonlinear dynamic disease systems.
Sponsored by the Environmental Change Initiative