According to Dr. Yogesh Shah, associate dean for global health at Des Moines University, every increase in temperature by one degree can increase the mosquito population by almost eight- to 10-fold.

Shah spoke event in Des Moines connected to President Barack Obama’s Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience. Shah was one of about a dozen experts who testified on the effects of climate change.

The mosquito is responsible for the deaths of 30 million people over the course of human history. The insect carries a variety of diseases, the deadliest of which is malaria.The number of malaria cases in the United States is small but growing, with a 50 percent increase between 2008 and 2011.