Implication of heat islands on dengue incidence in urban areas: a systematic review

• Published in: Journal of Public Health and Development
• Main Author: Mohd Aminuddin M.A.; Che Dom N.; Mohd Yatim S.R.
• Format: Review
• Language: English
• Published: Mahidol University - ASEAN Institute for Health Development 2025
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85214688764&doi=10.55131%2fjphd%2f2025%2f230122&partnerID=40&md5=c27e4511d3899589bf8954671da6e7e2

An urban heat island is known to adversely affect the microclimate in an area, which includes temperature, rainfall, relative humidity, and wind velocity. These climatic changes may influence the transmission of dengue and density of Aedes mosquitoes due to their effect on the life cycle of Aedes mosquitoes, which is the primary vector for dengue. This review aims to analyse existing literature on urban heat islands and their implication on dengue incidence. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were used as a reference to review resources from three databases, which were Scopus, Web of Sciences (WoS), and ScienceDirect. From the keyword search, 212 articles published between 2003 and 2022 were identified, but only 123 articles were included in the screening phase. Upon applying the review criteria, 39 articles were sought for retrieval; however, only 36 of them were assessed for eligibility following the unsuccessful retrieval of three (3) articles. In total, 12 articles were included in the review after the eligibility and quality appraisal. Analysis of the articles was performed by reading the full articles and extracting the information on study location, year of publication, variables, and findings. It was found that urban heat islands can be described as areas with high temperatures, low vegetation coverage, and a high percentage of built-up areas, which can be associated with high dengue incidences. Additionally, it was learned that the higher temperatures in urban areas have influence on dengue transmission and may contribute an increase in the Aedes mosquito density. In conclusion, even though the urban heat island phenomenon itself may not be directly associated with dengue transmission and Aedes density, the higher temperatures in the cities induced by the heat islands have shown evidence of association to dengue transmission, which affects the Aedes mosquito density. It is suggested that more in-depth studies are needed to determine the implications of urban heat islands on dengue incidence. Such studies are required, particularly when employing indicators such as urban heat island intensity, daytime and nighttime temperatures, population density, and socio-economic characteristics as research variables, with a focus on urban cities with higher risk of dengue transmission. © 2025, Mahidol University - ASEAN Institute for Health Development. All rights reserved.