The World Health Organisation has predicted a major global increase in health emergencies this year due to El Niño.
“From Ethiopia to Haiti to Papua New Guinea, we are seeing the damage from El Niño, and we believe the impact on public health is likely to continue throughout 2016, even after El Niño winds down,” explains Dr Richard Brennan, Director of WHO's Emergency Risk Management & Humanitarian Response Department.
WHO warns that floods triggered by El Niño are likely to cause vector-borne diseases and water-borne diseases, whilst droughts will lead to malnutrition, communicable diseases, water-borne diseases, respiratory diseases and heat stress.