The El Niño phenomenon, whereby warmer than usual ocean water develops in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific, affects rainfall patterns and temperatures in many parts of the globe. This occurs most intensely in the tropics, and with significant impacts on human health.
Vector-borne diseases are illnesses caused by pathogens and parasites in human populations. Every year there are more than 1 billion cases and over 1 million deaths from vector-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, schistosomiasis, human African trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis and onchocerciasis, globally.