Organization
This technical webinar is co-organized by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The event conducts a singular, comprehensive, two-hour session designed to drive immediate, evidence-based anticipatory action across the region.
Background and rationale
The El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) remains a dominant driver of year-to-year climate variability, profoundly altering rainfall and temperature patterns across the Americas. These shifts intensify climate-sensitive hazards, including extreme heatwaves, prolonged droughts, intense rainfall, flooding, and wildfires. Critically, these environmental changes alter the geographic distribution and burden of vector-, water-, and food-borne diseases. The WMO confirms that El Niño conditions have developed in the tropical Pacific and are forecast to strengthen rapidly over the coming months, increasing the likelihood of heatwaves, droughts, heavy rainfall and other extreme weather events in many parts of the world.
That outlook must be translated into localized public health measures before climate-sensitive hazards escalate into health emergencies. WMO’s capacity in climate monitoring and forecasting complements PAHO’s mandate to strengthen health emergency preparedness, readiness, response, and recovery; together they convert a seasonal forecast into operational readiness at the country level — the pre-positioning of plans, supplies, surveillance triggers, and trained personnel ahead of impact.
Building on past joint initiatives, this consolidated webinar links meteorological intelligence to health-sector decision-making, so that ministries of health, national meteorological and hydrological services, and disaster management authorities act on the forecast rather than on the impact.
Objectives
The webinar has 4 main goals:
- Provide Synchronized Updates: Deliver current regional climate outlooks alongside evolving public health risk assessments.
- Strengthen Disease Surveillance & Heat Stress: Enhance regional understanding of biological hazards, focusing heavily on arboviral risks accelerated by climate anomalies.
- Promote Multi-Sectoral Readiness: Equitize actionable, evidence-based public health interventions across climate, health, and disaster management networks.
- Foster Regional Collaboration: Drive closer coordination between National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs), Ministries of Health, and regional disaster management bodies.
Participation
- DATE: Tuesday, 4 August 2026
- LANGUAGES: English, Spanish
- TIME: 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM (ET, Washington, Ottawa, Chile, Bolivia)
- OTHER TIME ZONES: Buenos Aires, Brasilia (12:00 PM), Mexico City (9:00 AM), Bogota, Kingston, Lima, Panama City (10:00 AM).
- PLATFORM: ZOOM (with registration)
Agenda
Topic
Opening Session and Framing
Gerry Eijkemans. Director, Department of Social and Environmental Determinants for Health Equity, PAHO
Julián Báez. Director, WMO Regional Office for the Americas
Block 1. Early Warning from the Public Health Perspective. Authoritative climate monitoring, seasonal forecasts, and regional outlooks
Rodney Martínez. WMO Representative for North America, Central America and the Caribbean
Block 2. Public Health Situational Analysis & Epidemiological Surveillance. Analysis of the current Public health risk, tracking and predicting vector behavior, spatial shifts, and disease spikes, focusing on arboviruses (Dengue, Zika, Chikungunya, Oropouche) and others
Tshewang Dorji. Health Information Management Advisor, PAHO
Karen Polson. Advisor, Climate Change and Health Advisor, PAHO
PAHO/CDE Representative (to be confirmed)
Block 3: Practical Public Health Recommendations & Priority Gaps Evidence-based, inclusive operational strategies to safeguard vulnerable populations, addressing systemic equity gaps and geographic duality for drought and flooding
Country presentations
Interactive Q&A and Closing
Moderator: Daniel Buss. Director, Climate Change and Environmental Determinants of Health Unit, PAHO
Closing Remarks: Celso Bambaren. Country Preparedness and IHR Unit Chief Health Emergencies Department, PAHO