El Niño could cause more than 450,000 deaths by February - climate scientists

It is noted that these losses will be additional to the deaths caused by rising temperatures due to the climate crisis.

According to the researchers, tropical countries such as Nigeria, Indonesia, Sudan, India and Brazil will suffer the most in the next six months. The US is among the twenty most vulnerable countries, with 3,500 additional deaths predicted from the heat. On a larger scale, the Sahel region of Africa and Southeast Asia will be hard hit.

El Niño is a natural phenomenon in which changes in the winds over the Pacific Ocean lead to an increase in the temperature of ocean water and the movement of huge amounts of heat into the atmosphere.

The researchers call for the introduction of measures to protect the population. In particular, it is about improving the forecasting of temperature conditions, creating cooling points where people can hide from the heat, increasing the number of staff in medical institutions in the hottest periods, as well as providing protection for people who work outdoors.