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Researcher warns of increase in disease because of El Niño Posted 12-15-97 Worldwide increases in malaria, other mosquitoborne diseases, and natural disasters such as droughts, floods, and volcanoes can be linked to El Niño, researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine say. El Niño or the "Christ Child," so named because it usually peaks in December, is a warming of the surface waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean, which causes equatorial winds to die out and reverse direction, dramatically changing weather patterns in many parts of the world. Most places around the world warm up in an El Niño, said Menno Jan Bouma, MD, PhD, at the London School. Increased rainfall in normally dry areas, such as India, increase disease-carrying mosquito populations. Drier conditions in normally wet areas can turn rivers into ponds that create breeding conditions for mosquitoes, he said. The number of victims of natural disasters who require immediate medical assistance usually increases 400 percent in the year of an El Niño and the year immediately following, Bouma said. The data is based on the study of six El Niños between 1964 and 1993. Predicting El Niño events may allow high-risk continents, including Africa, India, and Asia, to avert epidemics by stocking up on drugs beforehand and using mosquito-control measures at the most effective times, Bouma said. El Niños also affect weather patterns in the United States, usually resulting in milder-than-average winter temperatures for most of the nation. California, particularly Southern California, is expected to have heavier-than-average rainfall this winter because of El Niño. Heavier snowfall also is predicted in the mountains. Related Site |
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