The El Nino phenomenon currently is set to intensify from now until August 2026, increasing the disk of the dengue causing Aedes mosquito breeding, as water puddles caused by higher temperatures create conducive conditions for the breeding of mosquitoes.

Dam and river water levels may drop during the El Nino phase due to reduced rainfall contributing to water supply disruptions and shortages causing households to store water in containers, drums and buckets which become breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

Although El Nino causes drier weather conditions, there are occasional periods of heavy rainfall and rainwater is often collected in discarded containers, clogged drains and used items around homes creating stagnant water favourable to Aedes mosquito breeding.

Also, the natural washing effect of rainwater, which normally helps destroy mosquito breeding habitats such as gutters and drains, decreases during the El Nino season due to the reduced rainfall.

Higher temperatures caused by El Nino creates the risk of dengue outbreaks which may accelerate the mosquito life cycle, causing eggs to hatch faster and larvae to develop more rapidly into full grown adult mosquitoes.

Besides this, adult mosquitoes may bite more frequently in hot conditions and the higher temperatures may help shorten the incubation period of the dengue virus inside the mosquito, making the mosquito infectious sooner increasing the risk of transmission.

-THE MALAYSIA VOICE