This is a translation of the original article in Portuguese. Read the original (Português).
A study by Ieps, a Brazilian research institute (Ieps), using data from 2000 to 2024, estimates that 42.2 thousand deaths among elderly people in Brazil were associated with the seven El Niño episodes that occurred in the period. Most of the deaths were caused by circulatory diseases. This is what the newspaper Folha de S.Paulo, one of Brazil’s largest newspapers, reports.
The survey indicates that primary care, the entry point to the health system, could prevent part of these deaths. In practical terms, this means that monitoring older adults, especially those with heart and circulation problems, is one of the ways to reduce the human cost of the phenomenon, which goes beyond floods and droughts.
The warning carries weight because this year’s El Niño is described as intense. Families with elderly members and health managers still have time to prepare before the peak.
The phenomenon is already leaving its mark on the country. In Rio de Janeiro, according to Folha, it rained on 91 of the 132 days between July and November, with record rainfall in September and October. In the same report, the newspaper notes that the federal government is funding slope containment works in the city.
Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere stated that City Hall will complete 31 landslide prevention works by the end of the year. The promise comes against the backdrop of a series of rainy months, which increases the risk in hillside areas.
The picture shows how El Niño affects the country in different ways: excess rain in Rio and, in other regions, effects such as drought and agricultural losses. What they share is the need for prevention before the impacts worsen.
For those who have elderly relatives at home, the study underscores the importance of keeping medical appointments and treatments up to date, and of seeking the neighborhood basic health unit, where monitoring can be done closely.
Reporting from Folha de S.Paulo (p. 45, Rio de Janeiro/RJ: Rio tem recorde de chuva em setembro e outubro e recebe obras para El Niño), Folha de S.Paulo (p. 49, nacional: El Niño está ligado a 42 mil mortes de idosos no Brasil, diz levantamento).
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