Researchers expect the spread of new viruses and infectious diseases

According to a new study, climate change will result in the spread of new viruses among animal species by 2070, which will raise the risk of infectious diseases emerging and their transmission from animals to humans.

This applies specifically to Africa and Asia, the two continents that have been hotbeds for the spread of deadly diseases from humans to animals or vice versa during the past decades, including influenza, HIV, Ebola and the Corona virus.

The researchers, who published their study today, Thursday, in the journal "Nature", used a model to examine how about 3,000 species of mammals could migrate and share viruses during 50 years, if the year's temperature rose by two degrees Celsius, which recent studies indicate is likely to happen.

They found that the spread of viruses between species would occur more than 4,000 times among mammals alone, while the study did not include birds or marine animals.

The study highlights two global crises, climate change and the spread of infectious diseases, while the world is already suffering from them.

Previous studies have looked at how melting ice, extinction and wildlife trade affect the spread of diseases between animals and humans, but there are fewer studies on how climate change affects the spread of this type of disease, according to scientists.

Experts on climate change and infectious diseases agreed that a warming planet was likely to see an increase in the likelihood of new viruses emerging.

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