Brazil ramps up El Niño preparedness with health system meetings and civil‑defense drills

Municipal officials from Pontal do Paraná took part in a state‑wide civil‑defense tabletop exercise on 3 June, simulating El Niño‑related extreme weather such as heavy rains and flooding. The drill, organised by the Paraná Civil Defence agency, tested emergency protocols, inter‑agency communication and decision‑making, involving the municipality’s security, public works, environment and social‑development secretaries.

At the national level, the Ministry of Health is conducting a series of regional meetings in July to ready the Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) for El Niño impacts expected in 2026. Sessions began in Fortaleza (30 June‑2 July) for the Northeast, will continue in Brasília (7‑9 July) for the North and Central‑West, and conclude in Porto Alegre (21‑23 July) for the South and Southeast. Participants include state health secretaries, municipal health councils, PAHO, Cemaden, INMET, Fiocruz and other research bodies. Topics cover climate‑driven health risks—drought, heat waves, forest fires, intense rain, floods—and associated diseases, with a practical THIRA workshop to assess threats and vulnerable populations. The goal is to consolidate risk assessments and strengthen institutional capacities for emergency health response.