Dr. Madeleine Thomson has pioneered research into climate-sensitive infectious diseases (CSIDs), establishing frameworks for understanding how climate change reshapes global disease patterns. Her work, highlighted in her Wellcome role, defines CSIDs as infectious diseases whose transmission and spread are influenced by changes and variations in climate and weather, encompassing diseases spread by air, food, water, or vectors.

Thomson’s research demonstrates that 2024’s record-breaking global temperatures directly contributed to surging dengue fever cases worldwide and the spread of other infectious diseases. Her analysis shows that pathogens and vectors typically thrive in warmer climates, with longer seasons allowing vectors to live, breed, and transmit diseases more effectively. This understanding has become crucial for predicting and managing disease outbreaks in our changing climate.

Her innovative research approach integrates climate data with health information to improve disease outbreak prediction and management. Thomson has been instrumental in developing digital tools for creating better early warning systems, including collaborations with research teams developing predictive tools like E-DENGUE, which can forecast dengue outbreaks up to two months in advance.

Through her CSID research, Thomson has highlighted the unequal risks faced by vulnerable populations, particularly in lower-income countries where the combination of warm, humid climates, inadequate housing, and limited healthcare creates heightened disease risks. Her expertise is regularly featured in climate health seminars and World Economic Forum discussions.