Climate Variability, Vulnerability, and Natural Disasters: A Case Study of Zika Virus in Manabi, Ecuador Following the 2016 Earthquake

Cecilia J Sorensen; Mercy J Borbor-Cordova; Emilie Calvello-Hynes; Avriel Diaz; Jay Lemery; Anna M Stewart-Ibarra

doi:10.1002/2017GH000104

Climate Variability, Vulnerability, and Natural Disasters: A Case Study of Zika Virus in Manabi, Ecuador Following the 2016 Earthquake

Geohealth. 2017 Oct 14;1(8):298-304. doi: 10.1002/2017GH000104. eCollection 2017 Oct.

Authors

Cecilia J Sorensen¹, Mercy J Borbor-Cordova², Emilie Calvello-Hynes¹, Avriel Diaz³, Jay Lemery¹, Anna M Stewart-Ibarra⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Emergency Medicine University of Colorado School of Medicine Aurora CO USA.
² Faculty of Naval Engineering, Oceanic Sciences and Natural Resources Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral Guayaquil Ecuador.
³ Department of Evolution, Ecology and Environmental Biology Columbia University New York NY USA.
⁴ Department of Medicine, Department of Public Health and Preventative Medicine SUNY Upstate Medical University Syracuse NY USA.

Abstract

Climate change presents complex and wide-reaching threats to human health. A variable and changing climate can amplify and unmask ecological and socio-political weaknesses and increase the risk of adverse health outcomes in socially vulnerable regions. When natural disasters occur in such areas, underlying climatic conditions may amplify the public health crisis. We describe an emerging epidemic of Zika virus (ZIKV) in Ecuador following the 2016 earthquake, which coincided with an exceptionally strong El Niño event. We hypothesize that the trigger of a natural disaster during anomalous climate conditions and underlying social vulnerabilities were force multipliers contributing to a dramatic increase in ZIKV cases postearthquake.

Keywords: Zika virus; climate change; natural disaster; vulnerable populations.