WHO warns: El Nino phenomenon poses a "major threat" to health

The World Health Organization (WHO) is warning of the multiple health risks associated with the current El Nino episode, ranging from heatwaves and wildfires to malnutrition, cholera, and mosquito-borne diseases. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), this climate phenomenon could become the strongest ever recorded, AFP reports. The United Nations has warned of the numerous potential health impacts of El Nino, deeming it a "major threat," according to AFP. The WHO identifies a wide range of health risks. These include high temperatures, which can exacerbate certain medical conditions, as well as deteriorating air quality-particularly due to wildfires. Droughts and floods associated with the phenomenon can also foster conditions leading to malnutrition and cholera. Furthermore, periods of exceptional rainfall and flooding can contribute to the spread of mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, and chikungunya.

"The health consequences of El Nino are predictable. We have a window of opportunity to act now, before these risks turn into a crisis," said Teresa Zakaria, WHO's lead for humanitarian operations and climate change, during a press conference in Geneva, AFP notes. "We are therefore calling on governments, partners, and communities to invest immediately, prepare, and take preventive measures to save lives and maintain health services," she added.

• WHO recommends strengthening health systems

The WHO recommends that member states better prepare their health systems, strengthen disease monitoring mechanisms, ensure continuity of care, and build up stocks of medical supplies in the most vulnerable areas. "El Nino poses a significant threat to public health," warned Teresa Zakaria. The current El Nino event, which could become the strongest ever recorded, has already caused extreme weather conditions in several regions of the world, AFP reports. In early September, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), a UN agency, warned that the current event could be the "strongest" observed since measurements of this climate phenomenon began approximately four decades ago. The WMO is set to publish its next bulletin on El Nino at the end of November. The effects of the phenomenon are already being felt and are expected to intensify; consequences could persist even after peak intensity-expected at the end of the year-is reached, explained Armel Castellan, an advisor to the joint WMO-WHO office, speaking to journalists.

• El Nino compounds the effects of climate change

The El Nino phenomenon compounds the consequences of human-induced climate change, which is intensifying extreme weather events. "Its impact coincides with baseline temperatures that are already very high across the globe. It is, therefore, a double blow," stated Armel Castellan. Experts anticipate that actual natural phenomena may surpass some of the current forecasts.