Malaria could 'return regularly' to UK
The government has warned NHS services that Britain could face an outbreak of malaria and tick-born viruses in the next five years.
Due to global warming, the Health Protection Agency said that it was "not impossible" that malaria main return regularly to the UK if the country experiences more of the tropical temperatures and rain that occurred last summer.
"Our work is based on what is likely to happen if we do nothing to prevent it - and it could well be that we see an increase in diseases such as malaria," a spokesman for the Health Protection Agency told the Telegraph.
"Malaria has been seen in these islands in the past, and it is not impossible that it will return regularly if the UK experiences more tropical temperatures and rain on the scale experienced last summer.
"Our nearest continental neighbour, France, has already experienced a severe heatwave, with thousands of people dying, mostly the old and frail, so it was very clearly seen by scientists as possible here within a short timeframe."
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