WHO warns of rising health risks as El Nino approaches

Africa is facing the prospect of a new wave of health and humanitarian pressures as a strong El Nino develops, with the World Health Organization warning of increased flooding, disease outbreaks, and food insecurity in countries already grappling with other emergencies, including the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The WHO Regional Office for Africa said in a media briefing on Wednesday that the El Nino preparedness effort had been classified as a Grade 3 emergency — its highest level of operational response — with 18 African countries identified as being at high or very high risk.

The classification underscores the need for governments to strengthen surveillance, pre-position medical supplies, and act on early warnings before conditions worsen.

Global climate forecasts indicate that the El Nino is expected to intensify in late 2026 and continue into 2027, with different parts of Africa facing contrasting risks, WHO said.

The agency said Eastern and central Africa are at high to very high risk of flooding, while much of Southern Africa faces the prospect of severe drought. The resulting health risks include cholera and other waterborne diseases, malaria, dengue, yellow fever, and Rift Valley fever, while drought could worsen food insecurity, malnutrition, and access to safe water.

"The important point is that these health impacts are not inevitable," Patrick Otim, programme area manager for emergency response WHO Regional Office for Africa, said. "We have already advanced warning that gives us a critical opportunity to prepare before the conditions deteriorate."

WHO is supporting countries to strengthen surveillance and early-warning systems, identify communities at greatest risk, update contingency plans and pre-position medicines, diagnostics, and emergency supplies.

The scale of the potential humanitarian impact is already significant. In Eastern Africa, 48.5 million people require humanitarian assistance, while more than 40 million face acute food insecurity and 8.3 million children are acutely malnourished. In Southern Africa, another 13.3 million people face acute food insecurity, with more than 637,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition, according to WHO.

WHO said it is establishing a dedicated incident management team to coordinate El Nino preparedness across high-risk countries. About $2.2 million is urgently needed for surveillance, health and nutrition services, emergency supplies, technical support, and rapid-response deployments.

"The months ahead will be challenging, but we have a window to act," Otim said. "Preparing now will help protect vulnerable communities, reduce the health impact of El Nino, and save lives."