(I) Huge dust storms, like those that turned the air red across much of eastern Australia during 2009, spread lethal epidemics around the world. (II) For instance, dust storms originating in the Sahara Desert are thought to be responsible for spreading meningitis spores throughout semi-arid central Africa. (III) Higher temperatures and more intense storms are likewise linked to “valley fever”, a fatal disease contracted from a fungus in the soil of the central valley of California. (IV) According to the World Meteorological Organization, dust storms cause enormous damage to the ecology of forests. (V) Scientists now see such dust clouds as possible transmitters of influenza, SARS, and foot and-mouth diseases.