Which statement about vectors is true in the One Health context?

Which statement about vectors is true in the One Health context?

• A. Vectors transmit pathogens across species; climate change alters their range, abundance, and seasonality.
• B. Vectors are plant pests only.
• C. Vectors are unaffected by climate.
• D. Vectors only exist in tropical regions.

Answer: (A)

Understanding how vectors influence disease risk in a One Health framework hinges on recognizing that vectors transmit pathogens across species and are shaped by climate. This makes the statement true because vectors such as mosquitoes and ticks carry pathogens from animals to humans and among animal species, and climate change alters where these vectors can live, how many there are, and when they are active. As temperatures rise and rainfall patterns shift, these vectors can expand into new areas, increase in abundance, and extend their seasonal windows, elevating opportunities for spillover at interfaces of wildlife, livestock, and people. The other options don’t fit because vectors are not limited to plant pests, they are affected by climate, and they exist beyond tropical regions.

Understanding how vectors influence disease risk in a One Health framework hinges on recognizing that vectors transmit pathogens across species and are shaped by climate. This makes the statement true because vectors such as mosquitoes and ticks carry pathogens from animals to humans and among animal species, and climate change alters where these vectors can live, how many there are, and when they are active. As temperatures rise and rainfall patterns shift, these vectors can expand into new areas, increase in abundance, and extend their seasonal windows, elevating opportunities for spillover at interfaces of wildlife, livestock, and people. The other options don’t fit because vectors are not limited to plant pests, they are affected by climate, and they exist beyond tropical regions.