The El Nino phenomenon has officially returned for the first time in three years. This is likely to bring extreme weather later this year, from tropical storms near vulnerable Pacific islands, to heavy rains in South America, to drought in Australia and parts of Asia.

"WHO is preparing for the very high possibility that the El Niño phenomenon in 2023 and 2024 could increase the transmission of diseases such as dengue, Zika and chikungunya," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The head of the WHO warned that climate change is boosting mosquito breeding and dengue fever rates have risen sharply in recent decades, particularly in the Americas.

Peru has declared a state of emergency in most regions this year and Health Minister Rosa Gutierrez resigned last week amid a worrying rise in dengue cases.

Dengue fever is transmitted through the bite of the aedes aegypti mosquito, with symptoms including fever, sore eyes, headache, muscle and joint pain, nausea and fatigue.

Quoc Thien (according to TWA)