El Nino and Infectious Disease Outbreaks: Emerging Links and Interaction with Other Drivers of Disease Activity (Invited Presentation)

Recent outbreaks of Zika, Ebola, and other infectious diseases have highlighted the possible role of climate and weather, including El Nino-related phenomena, in disease emergence and transmission. New research suggests that both longer-term climate trends and shorter-term meteorological conditions may influence disease dynamics, through effects on the environment, disease reservoir hosts, arthropod vectors, the infectious agents themselves, or human susceptibility or behavior. For some epidemiological settings, these links are understood sufficiently for use in public health risk assessment and communication programs. In some cases, early warning based on El Nino forecasts or observations are possible. For the most part, though, there are significant knowledge gaps about how climate and weather interact with other factors in driving infectious disease activity. This presentation will use recent outbreaks to illustrate current knowledge and opportunities for interdisciplinary research and observations to improve understanding and prediction of infectious disease trends.