NAIROBI, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) is collaborating closely with the Kenyan government to mitigate health risks linked to the upcoming 2026/2027 El Nino season, the UN health agency announced Tuesday.
Speaking in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, ahead of the October-December rainy season, WHO Representative to Kenya Neema Rusibamayila Kimambo said that continuous risk assessments will guide health authorities in identifying potential threats and strengthening emergency preparedness against flooding and climate-related disease outbreaks.
"The experience of the long rains earlier this year provides important lessons for preparing health services and communities before the next rainy season," Kimambo said in a statement.
The WHO said that among the areas being assessed are disease surveillance and early warning, laboratory and response capacity, safe water, sanitation and hygiene, risk communication and continuity of essential health services.
The UN health agency warned that severe flooding can contaminate drinking water sources and sanitation infrastructure, heightening the risk of waterborne illnesses such as cholera, typhoid, dysentery, hepatitis A, and diarrheal diseases.
It said floodwaters often restrict physical access to healthcare facilities, disrupting routine medical services and delaying critical treatments.
For Kenya, heavy rainfall is also forecast during the March-May 2027 long rainy season, potentially leading to widespread flooding.
According to the WHO, the previous rainy season affected over 27 counties, resulting in 122 deaths and displacing 42,259 people.
Severe damage to roads, bridges, power grids, and water infrastructure restricted access to critical services and significantly heightened the risk of waterborne disease outbreaks.
In response, Kenya's Ministry of Health has activated the Health Sector El Nino Contingency Plan to direct nationwide preparedness and emergency response efforts.
The framework coordinates operations across national and county governments, emergency agencies, humanitarian organizations, and international development partners.
The WHO observed that strong El Nino conditions, combined with a positive Indian Ocean Dipole, historically drive elevated rainfall across East Africa, not only in Kenya, with wetter-than-normal weather for Somalia, eastern and southern Ethiopia, northern Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi.
The health agency cautioned that similar climate dynamics in 1997 and 2019 triggered catastrophic, widespread flooding across the region, severely affecting vulnerable communities.
