El Nino's Fierce Heat Carries New Risk Of Resurgent Deadly Viruses
NDTV
The World Health Organization sounded the alarm in a press conference earlier this week, when Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that the weather phenomenon "could increase transmission of dengue and other so-called arboviruses such as Zika and chikungunya."
The return of El Nino after nearly four years is raising the specter of extreme weather, economic pain, and agricultural disruption across the globe. Now add another unpleasant effect to the mix: a resurgence of tropical diseases.
The World Health Organization sounded the alarm in a press conference earlier this week, when Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that the weather phenomenon "could increase transmission of dengue and other so-called arboviruses such as Zika and chikungunya."
Mosquitoes that transmit such viruses flourish in the warmer weather that El Nino is set to bring to many parts of the world.
Regions from South America to Asia are already grappling with surges in tropical diseases. Peru has declared a state of emergency over its worst recorded dengue outbreak on record, with about 150,000 suspected cases reported so far this year. The WHO warned that infections are putting a "heavy burden" on the country's health system.
