WASHINGTON – The above-average rainfall caused by El Niño that is expected in parts of South America until May could cause floods and increases in diseases spread by mosquitoes, including malaria and the Zika virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned.
A recent report published by the agency on the health consequences of El Niño forecasts a rise in vector-borne diseases, including diseases spread by mosquitoes – which also include dengue and chikungunya – in Central and South America, particularly in Ecuador, Peru, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil and Argentina. Severe drought, flooding, heavy rains and temperature rises are all known effects of El Niño – a warming of the central to eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.
(READ: What You Need To Know About The Zika Virus)
“We could expect more mosquitoes capable of spreading the Zika virus because of expanding and favourable breeding sites due to the weather effects of El Niño,” Raman Velayudhan, coordinator of vector ecology and management in WHO’s Department of Neglected Tropical Diseases, said earlier this week in a press release.
Zika is a virus spread to humans by Aedes mosquitoes – the same mosquitoes that spread dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever. The Aedes mosquito breeds in standing water. The symptoms known to be caused by Zika infection tend to be mild, and it is estimated that three out of four infected do not show symptoms.
