The World Health Organization (WHO) is preparing for the further spread of viral diseases such as dengue, Zika and chikungunya, associated with the El Niño climate phenomenon. This was indicated by the Director General of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, during a press conference held on June 21.
El Niño, a warming of water surface temperatures in the eastern and central Pacific Ocean, officially returned after three years of the La Niña weather pattern. Therefore, extreme weather events are expected to occur this year, from tropical cyclones that will turn towards the Pacific islands, torrential rains in South America as well as droughts in Australia and parts of Asia.
"WHO is preparing for the very high probability that 2023 and 2024 will be marked by the El Niño phenomenon, which could increase the transmission of dengue and other arboviruses, such as Zika and chikungunya," Ghebreyesus said in statements cited by the Reuters agency.
The head of the WHO also warned that climate change is encouraging the breeding of mosquitoes and the incidence of dengue has already increased considerably in recent decades, especially in the American continent. The disease is transmitted by the bite of infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and its symptoms include fever, pain in the eyes, head, muscles and joints, nausea, vomiting and fatigue.
