Extreme weather events, such as El Niño, can have long-lasting effects on health, according to research published in the open access journal Climate Change Responses. The study, in coastal Peru, shows that children born during and after the 1997-98 El Niño have a lower height-for-age than others born before the event.
Short stature, otherwise known as stunting, is a measure of chronic malnutrition and this generally persists through to adulthood. The research highlights the need for better understanding of the global health issues that may arise and for the use of evidence to design prevention strategies, as well as supply efficient target aid and relief during future El Niño episodes.
El Niño is an extreme weather phenomenon, triggered by abnormally warm waters in the Equatorial Pacific. It is recurrent and global in nature, occurring every 2-7 years and spells disaster and disease for many. It is commonly linked to epidemics of malaria, dengue fever, cholera and diarrhea.
El Niño affects more than four times the rate affected by natural disasters. The northern coastline of Peru suffers the greatest effects of El Niño episodes, hit by heavy rainfall and severe flooding. This typically results in damage to crops and livestock.
Studying the relationship between climate change, infectious diseases and poor growth in resource-poor settings in Peru for over a decade, William Checkley and his colleagues at Johns Hopkins University conducted the first study on the long-term consequences of El Niño on human health. "Weather variability plays an important role in growth and nutrition in resource-limited settings," he explains, "The results are surprising in the sense that we were able to measure an adverse effect on child growth many years after the original 1997-98 El Niño event."
http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/severe_weather/
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