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Newsletter
Puerto Rico faces dengue emergency amid rising cases

Puerto Rico faces dengue emergency amid rising cases

In a bid to curb an unprecedented surge in dengue fever, Puerto Rico declares a public health emergency, highlighting the escalating challenge posed by mosquito-borne diseases globally.

Zoya Teirstein reports for Grist.

In short:

  • Puerto Rico's health department records a 140% increase in dengue cases, reaching epidemic levels with 549 cases this year.
  • The island's struggle is part of a larger global trend, with climate change and environmental factors contributing to the spread of diseases like dengue.
  • Despite the growing threat, efforts to control the outbreak include public education, vaccine campaigns, and innovative mosquito control technologies.

Key quote:

"It’s a complex problem, but climate change, and most importantly consistently increasing temperatures, even in higher elevations, [create] fertile ground for an outbreak."

— Manisha Bhinge, vice president of the Rockefeller Foundation’s Health Initiative

Why this matters:

Dengue fever, a mosquito-borne viral disease, presents a significant health challenge in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide, including Puerto Rico. Characterized by high fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, joint and muscle pain, and rash, dengue can progress to more severe forms such as dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome, potentially leading to death.

Be sure to read EHN’s piece: Pollution, climate change and the global burden of disease.

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forest tree-planting

Tree-planting schemes threaten tropical biodiversity, say ecologists

Monoculture tree-planting schemes are threatening tropical biodiversity while only offering modest climate benefit, ecologists have said, warning that ecosystems like the Amazon and Congo basin are being reduced to their carbon value.

Newsletter
cholera climate mozambique justice
Photo by Rohan Reddy on Unsplash

Cholera cases spike amid extreme weather, conflict

Cyclone Freddy, one of the longest-lasting tropical cyclones ever recorded, carved a treacherous path in Mozambique last month that underscored the vulnerability of the world’s poorest to climate disruption, displacement, and disease — and not just once but twice.

tropical trees climate impacts

Tropical trees’ growth and CO2 intake hit by more extreme dry seasons

A new study has found that dry seasons that are warmer and drier than usual can stunt the growth of tropical trees, causing them to take in less carbon dioxide.

Newsletter
climate impacts water

Climate change is intensifying Earth’s water cycle at twice the predicted rate, research shows

Rising global temperatures have shifted at least twice the amount of freshwater from warm regions towards the Earth’s poles than previously thought as the water cycle intensifies, according to new analysis.

Drop in rain forest productivity could speed future climate change

Drop in rain forest productivity could speed future climate change

Tropical forests host a rich diversity of plant and animal life and process vast amounts of carbon dioxide. Therefore, researchers have been particularly interested in how these ecosystems might be affected by climate change.

Newsletter
climate impacts pacific ocean
Photo by Jordan Whitt on Unsplash

Tropical climate change is a puzzle—could aerosols be a piece?

The eastern tropical Pacific Ocean hasn’t warmed as much as climate change models projected. A new study shows that aerosols in the atmosphere could be responsible.
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