Mosquitoes that spread such viruses thrive in hot weather.
The return of El Niño after nearly four years is raising fears of extreme weather, economic pain and agricultural disruption around the world. Now add another unpleasant effect to the mix: the resurgence of tropical diseases.
The World Health Organization sounded the alarm at a press conference earlier this week, when Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that the weather event “could increase the transmission of dengue and other so-called arboviruses like Zika and Chikungunya.”
The mosquitoes that spread such viruses thrive in the warm weather that El Niño is set to bring to many parts of the world.
Regions from South America to Asia are already grappling with an increase in tropical diseases. Peru has declared a state of emergency over its worst recorded dengue outbreak, with nearly 150,000 suspected cases so far this year. The WHO warned that the infection was placing a “huge burden” on the country’s health system.
Meanwhile, Thailand has seen the highest number of dengue cases in three years, with local health authorities recording 19,503 cases from the beginning of 2023 until the first week of June. Cases are also rising in Malaysia and Cambodia, according to the WHO, while authorities in Singapore warned at the beginning of the year about the possibility of a surge in cases between June and October.
Elsewhere, other tropical diseases are taking a toll. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an outbreak of chikungunya that began last year in Paraguay has resulted in at least 40 deaths.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV Staff and has been auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)