Thousands in tropical climates are grappling with the most severe dengue outbreak on record, a situation expected to worsen due to the El Niño climate phenomenon.
Dengue fever, a tropical illness transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, may lead to symptoms such as headache, high fever, vomiting, muscle and joint pains and, in critical cases, it can cause death.
The health ministry of Peru has reported a staggering number of over 130,000 cases and a death toll exceeding 200 so far.
The El Niño climate event, characterized by the cyclical warming of the oceans and altered weather patterns, has been cited by Peruvian health officials as a contributing factor to the spike in dengue cases.
El Niño is known to stimulate tropical cyclones in the Pacific, causing increased rainfall and higher flood risks. The resulting excess rainfall leads to the accumulation of stagnant water in urban regions, providing breeding areas for mosquitoes.
To tackle the outbreak, authorities in Peru have forbidden residents from keeping stagnant water in open containers, a condition that fosters mosquito reproduction. Health Minister Rosa Gutierrez highlighted the urgency of the situation and urged citizens to assist in the removal of mosquito breeding sites to hinder the spread of the disease.
Following three years of the cooler La Niña weather pattern, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) declared the onset of El Niño on June 8. Scientists have expressed concerns about the present year, considering that the last significant El Niño in 2016 coincided with the highest global temperatures ever recorded.
Facing the impending threat of heavy rainfall, President Dina Boluarte of Peru declared a two-month “state of emergency” in 18 of the 24 regions of the country. This decree permits necessary official actions to address the situation effectively.
Health Minister Gutiérrez stressed that the present count of cases and deaths is the highest since 2017, a year in which Peru reported 68,290 cases and 89 deaths. The current situation calls for collaborative efforts to combat dengue and to mitigate the effects of El Niño-related conditions.
