Hunger, disease caused by El Nino hitting millions of children hard, UNICEF says
Source: CBC
Posted: Jul 07, 2016 8:00 PM ET
Millions of children in countries around the world are bearing the brunt of the past year's strong El Nino weather phenomenon, with hunger, malnutrition and disease rampant in the worst hit areas and likely to get worse, UNICEF said in a report published Thursday.
The UN children's agency said that in eastern and southern Africa alone, 26.5 million children are suffering from the lingering impact of El Nino, with one million needing immediate life-saving treatment for severe malnutrition.
El Nino begins as a huge patch of abnormally warm waters in the Pacific Ocean near the equator. That sets off a chain reaction of climate effects that can lead to warmer conditions and drought, especially in parts of Africa, and central and South America.
That added warmth increases the incidence of mosquito-borne diseases. Outbreaks of malaria, dengue and yellow fever occur every time a strong El Nino sweeps across the world.
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/el-nino-africa-unicefp-1.3668313?cmp=rss