Global warming linked to European viral epidemic

The epidemic has been shown to extend to neighboring countries such as France, Germany, Holland and Luxembourg. He said, This animal-borne disease, scarcely known before 1990, has been increasing in incidence in Belgium and Holland with a cyclic pattern, reaching epidemic proportions since 2005.
The fact that the growing combined effect of hotter summer and autumn seasons is matched by the growth of NE in recent years means this epidemic can be considered an effect of global warming.

NE is caused by infection with Puumala virus (PUUV), which is spread by the bank vole, a rodent common throughout most of Europe. The authors believe that warmer weather causes increases in the amount of 'mast', plant seeds from oak and beech trees, that forms the voles� staple diet. This plethora of food results in increases in the vole population and warm summers raise the chances that people will visit the forests where the voles live.