El Niño Event

Key Documentation and Products Developed by Partners to Support Community Engagement in El Niño Event Response and Its Related Impacts on Health

SITUATION

The current El Niño event was first declared in June 2023. The past months have already demonstrated that several of the predicted weather-related risks and attendant health consequences associated with El Niño have already come to pass in multiple settings around the globe (with the caveat that any climate-related event is multifactorial and thus difficult to attribute specifically to El Niño).

El Niño conditions increase the probability of a range of extreme weather events, including droughts, floods, hurricanes, and heatwaves, all of which are detrimental to human health. The magnitude of health impacts associated with El Niño will vary depending on how intensely El Niño influences the local climate of an area as well as local health vulnerabilities, and preparedness and response capacities. Health consequences associated with extreme weather conditions are interrelated, and can occur as a result of a range of factors:

  • Both droughts and flooding may trigger food insecurity, increase malnutrition and thus enhance vulnerability to infectious diseases;
  • Droughts, flooding and intense rainfall (including cyclones) may cause loss of life, significant population displacement, water and vector-borne disease outbreaks, and damage or close health facilities, thus reducing access to healthcare during the emergency and well beyond the event;
  • El Niño-related warmer temperatures may result in vector-borne disease epidemics in highland areas, which are too cold for vector survival and disease transmission at other times;
  • Damaged or flooded sanitation infrastructure may lead to water-borne diseases;
  • Extremely hot and dry conditions may lead to heat waves, wildfires, increased smoke and deteriorated air quality, causing or exacerbating respiratory diseases and heat stress;
  • Populations already affected by a humanitarian crisis (e.g. those in internally displaced persons and refugee camps) face heightened risk of the health consequences of both wet and dry.
    Lesotho, 2019 @IFRC
    Lesotho, 2019 @IFRC

    KEY RESOURCES

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    This Public Health Situation Analysis (PHSA) identifies the current and potential health impacts that vulnerable populations may face as a result of the global El Niño climate event, and describes health systems’ capacities to respond. This document provides a common and comprehensive understanding of the event in order to inform health response planning. It is based on key documents and research products from members of the World Health Organization, World Meteorological Organization (WMO), other UN organizations, NGOs, and research institutes.

    SSHAP - Information Preparedness and Community Engagement for El Niño in ESAR

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    This key considerations brief describes the implications of El Niño in the East and Southern Africa Region (ESAR) for Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) initiatives, based on previous comparable weather events. Lessons learnt are predominantly taken from the literature on communicating forecast and weather information, but have implications for multi-hazard RCCE response. Some lessons learnt are also taken from beyond East and Southern Africa, but considered within the anticipated El Niño effects in ESAR specifically.

    RESOURCES

    Data to Action Research Tools & Resources

    The ‘Data to Action’ section provides a consolidated repository of resources research from the Collective Service and various partners, with a primary focus on supporting Risk Communication & Community Engagement (RCCE) approaches. These resources are openly accessible to all stakeholders.

    The content is organised in the following subject areas: Understand the situation (situation report and contextual analysis), data collection tools (rapid assessment tools, inofdemic insight), coordination (guidance, strategy and plan), implementation (community engagement) and learning (studies and resources from previous responses).

    Each area comprises resources focused on specific emergencies, categorised as follows:

    • The ‘El Niño Event – General’ category includes background information on the El Niño event only, at a global, regional, or country level.
    • The ‘El Niño Event related to Public Health Emergency category provides resources on vaccine-preventable diseases (cholera, diphtheria) as well as resources on zoonotic diseases (anthrax, dengue/zika/chikungunya).
    • The last subject area is dedicated to the ‘El Niño event related to other emergencies’ and compiles resources on natural disasters such as drought and flood.

     This section is regularly updated with the latest publications and available resources. We encourage partners to get in touch with us, share any useful additional resources, and suggest materials that can be included in this repository. Please contact us

    1

    Understand the situation
    El Niño Event - General
    WHO PHSA El Niño Event Jul-Sep 2023

     

    WHO PHSA El Niño Event Sep-Dec 2023

     

    OCHA El Niño Event forecast & humanitarian impact SA region Oct 2023

     

    SSHAP Information Preparedness & CE for El Niño in ESAR

     

    El Niño Event related to Public Health Emergencies

    • Cholera
    • Diphtheria
    WHO – Global Cholera Sitution Update. Jan 2024

     

    WHO – Global strategic preparedness, readiness and response plan for Cholera. Apr 2023-2024

     

    WHO – Multi-country Cholera outbreak situation report. Jan 2024

     

    WHO Multi-country Outbreak Cholera Situation Report Sep 2023

     

    UNICEF Mozambique Humanitarian Situation Report Sep 2023

     

    OCHA Ethiopia Situation Report Oct 2023

     

    RCCE Key Message Bank Cholera Outbreaks

     

    IFRC RC Cholera Perception Haiti Survey

     

    Diphtheria Situation Report Nigeria Sep 2023

     

    • Dengue/Zika/Chikungunya
    • Anthrax
    Prevention Management Control of Dengue Nepal 2019

     

    CDC – How People Get Anthrax

     

    El Niño Event related to other emergencies

    • Drought
    • Flood
    FIC Another Humanitarian (and Political) Crisis Somalia 2022

     

    Briefing – Livelihoods Change Drought & Malnutrition Illeret Northern Kenya

     

    IFRC Operational Strategy – Kenya Hunger Crisis Situation Report

     

    HelpAge Drought in East Africa – Needs Assessment of Older People

     

    Assessment of Drought Resilience frameworks Horn of Africa

     

    Knowledge & Perception on the Causes of Malnutrition Dasanech Kenya

     

    Children at the centre: Response to Hunger & Climate Change Somalia

     

    Digital insights on Climate – Listening Online Conversations ESA

     

    UNICEF Somalia – Flood Update Nov 2023

     

    2

    Data Collection
    El Niño Event - General
    READY Communicating with Communities in Epidemics Pandemics RCCE Readiness kit

     

    El Niño Event related to Public Health Emergencies

    • Cholera
    GTFCC Top Research Priorities Indicators & Questions

     

    SSHAP Practical Approach 3

     

    SSHAP Practical Approach 4

     

    SSHAP Practical Approach 5

     

    PHAST Participatory Approach Control Diarrhoeal Disease – WHO & multiples partners

     

    A Rapid Assessment Tool (M-RAT)

     

    Qualitative Questions for Community Level Data Collection 2023

     

    • Dengue/Zika/Chikungunya
    • Anthrax
    Case Study Designing CE Framework – New Dengue Control Method Vietnam

     

    Training Guide – Frontline Workers on Basics of Zoonotic Diseases Risk Communication

     

    El Niño Event related to other emergencies

    • Drought
    Community-based Loss and Damage (L&D) Assessment Toolkit

     

    Assessing Drought Hazard & Risk

     

    3

    Coordination
    El Niño Event - General
    READY Communicating with Communities in Epidemics Pandemics RCCE Readiness kit

     

    El Niño Event related to Public Health Emergencies

    • Cholera
    SSHAP Social Science Lessons Learned from Cholera Epidemics

     

    UNICEF WHO Behavioural & Social Drivers Vaccination – Tools & Practical Guidance

     

    UNICEF WHO – Core Questions WASH Household surveys

     

    CS/UNICEF – Social Behavioural Community dynamics Cholera. Malawi 2022

     

    CS/UNICEF – Social Behavioural Community dynamics Cholera Summary. Malawi 2022

     

    El Niño Event related to other emergencies

    • Drought
    Compound Dry-Hot Exreme Events: Improving Individual & Community Preparedness & Response (COP26). 2021

     

    WHO – Regional Emergency Appeal Greater Horn of Africa. 2022

     

    4

    Implementation
    El Niño Event - General
    READY Communicating with Communities in Epidemics Pandemics RCCE Readiness kit

     

    El Niño Event related to Public Health Emergencies

    • Cholera
    WHO Regional Framework for Implemantation of Global Strategy for Cholera Prevention & Control – 2018-2030

     

    GTFCC Cholera Outbreak Response Field Manual

     

    GTFCC Overview of Ending Cholera – A Global Roadmap to 2030 Summary

     

    GTFCC Overview of Ending Cholera – A Global Roadmap to 2030 Full Report

     

    GTFCC Cholera roadmap Research Agenda – 2021

     

    USAID Guide for Developing a SBC Strategy

     

    IFRC RC – Cholera Perception Survey. Haiti 2023

     

    SSHAP – Social Science Lessons learned from Cholera Epidemics. 2018

     

    UNICEF – Rapid Response Teams (RTTs). Cholera outbreak. 2019

     

    5

    Learning
    El Niño Event - General
    UNICEF ESAR Climate Crisis Social and Community Listening Study

     

    UNICEF – Learning C4D response El Niño-induceed drought emergency. Swaziland

     

    El Niño Event related to Public Health Emergencies

    • Cholera
    Community-Based Health Quantitative Survey Liberia

     

    Article – Distribution hygiene kits Cholera outbreak. DRC 2020

     

    CS/UNICEF – Social Behavioural Community dynamics Cholera. Malawi 2022

     

    CS/UNICEF – Social Behavioural Community dynamics Cholera Summary. Malawi 2022

     

    Article – RQA Oral Chola Vaccine (OCV). Mozambique 2017

     

    SSHAP Enhancing CE through Data Collection. Controlling Epidemics. Mozambique 2020

     

    SSHAP – Health Seeking Behaviours. Cyclone response. Mozambique 2019

     

    Article – Innovative OCV delivery Lake Chilwa. Malawi 2017

     

    Article – Cultural influences Cholera transmission. Cameroon 2017

     

    SSHAP – Social Science Lessons learned from Cholera Epidemics. 2018

     

    UNICEF – Rapid Response Teams (RTTs). Cholera outbreak. 2019

     

    MSF – Transferable lessons Cholera Response. DRC Malawi Mozambique 2022

     

    • Dengue/Zika/Chikungunya
    Case Study – Designing CE Framework – New Dengue Control Method (Vietnam)

     

    Case Study – Designing CE Framework. New Dengue Control Method. Vietnam 2014

     

    El Niño Event related to other emergencies

    • Drought
    Evidence links Conflict Management Resilience to food security shocks. GHoA 2015

     

    Save the Children – Report on children’s consultation on hunger. Kenya 2022

     

    Article – Health Status & Health Care Needs of Drought-related Migrants. HoA 2020

     

    KNOWLEDGE HUB

    Bank of RCCE Assessments, Surveys, and Feedback Tools by READY

    This resource bank includes sample surveys, assessments and community feedback tools that can be adapted to country contexts.

    Social Science in Action - Climate change & Health emergencies

    Selected Social Science reports, briefs & reviews on climate change compiled by SSHAP

    Community Perception Tracker (CPT) - OXFAM WASH

    Uses a mobile tool to enable staff to capture, analyse and understand the perceptions of communities during disease outbreaks.

    The Collective Service - Cholera Thematic kit
    More knowledge on Cholera
    The Collective Service - Drought Thematic kit
    More knowledge on Drought