South Sudan is among the countries that have been cautioned of a possibility of a surge in vector-borne diseases, which could come as a result of weather change in June to September 2021 period.

The IGAD Climate Predictions and Applications Centre (ICPAC) said in a press release dated May 27, that Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda are primed for a wetter season beginning this month.

The statement read: ‘‘A wetter than usual June to September season is expected over Sudan, South Sudan, most of Ethiopia, and Uganda indicating good prospects for pasture and crop production.

‘‘The season is expected to start early in western Ethiopia, southern and western Sudan, southern Eritrea, northern South Sudan, and Uganda, and late in eastern Ethiopia, northern Eritrea, and north-eastern Sudan.’’

The risks

Apart from being a farming boon, the weather change could bring misfortunes and this only implies that governments must be ready to combat vector-borne diseases that may come with it, the weatherman warns. The affected countries have been advised to closely work with weather scientists to monitor the situations bearing in mind the COVID-19 challenge.

‘‘The expected wetter than usual season is likely to increase the risk of vector prone diseases. Considering the ongoing simultaneous emergencies impacting the region, including the COVID-19 pandemic, regional and national authorities are encouraged to use this seasonal forecast to develop contingency plans, and to update them with weekly and monthly forecasts provided by ICPAC and National Meteorological Services.’’

ICPAC further said that ‘‘warmer than usual temperatures are expected over northern Sudan, eastern Eritrea, most parts of Ethiopia and Somalia, eastern Kenya, and eastern Tanzania’’, and on the flipside, ‘‘cooler than usual temperatures are expected  on southern Sudan, much of South Sudan, western half of Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and western parts of Tanzania.’’