Sea surface temperature anomalies can predict global dengue trends: study

A team of Chinese scientists has discovered a link between sea surface temperature anomalies in the tropical Indian Ocean and the magnitude of global dengue epidemics. Published in the journal Science, the study suggests that this climate indicator could enhance forecasting and planning for outbreak responses. Dengue, a mosquito-borne disease affecting nearly half the world’s population, is influenced by climate events like El Nino. By using climate-driven mechanistic models and dengue case data from 46 countries in Southeast Asia and America, researchers identified associations between global climate patterns and the scale of dengue epidemics. The study’s model can predict dengue warnings up to nine months in advance, a significant improvement over previous models. However, further assessments are necessary to evaluate the model’s predictive performance.

Source – CGTN