200,000 cases, 200 dead: Peru's worst dengue outbreak ever. Cause: El Nino rains

Peru is reeling under the worst dengue outbreak on record for the country that could intensify further as an El Niño climate phenomenon brings torrential rains driving the death toll this year past 200 with over 130,000 recorded cases, the health ministry said. The country's health authorities have pointed towards the climate phenomena, El Niño, as one of the key drivers of the surge in cases.

El Niño- cyclical warming of the world's oceans and weather- has fueled tropical cyclones in the Pacific, bringing rainfall and flood risk in the region. Owing to the increase in rainfall, mosquitoes have become a menace due to the accumulation of water in the cities.

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Amid the spike, Peru's health officials are prohibiting residents from storing still water in open containers. "Dengue kills," Peru's health minister Rosa Gutiérrez said, adding, "Because of that, help me eliminate mosquito breeding sites.”

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) declared El Niño is now underway after the past three years have been dominated by a cooler La Niña pattern. This year could be particularly worrying like the last strong El Niño which was recorded in 2016 when the world witnessed a historic hottest year.

"We're in unprecedented territory," Michelle L'Heureux, a meteorologist with NOAA's Climate Prediction Center said while Peru declared a two-month "state of emergency" in 18 of the country's 24 regions stating that there is an "imminent danger from heavy rainfall" this year and next.

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