Global Update: Health, natural disasters, climate

Christopher Bacon, Kai Strzelecki, and Reese Carsley • August 25, 2025

Falconer reporters provide an update of health and climate related global events. These included the Chikungunya virus which originated in Africa, wildfires in Spain and Portugal and flooding caused by climate change.

Chikungunya Virus

The Chikungunya virus, originating from the Makonde Plateau in Africa, is widespread throughout the world. Times Now reported that there are over 7,000 cases appearing since June, and more than 90 deaths as of July 2025. Additionally, according to the World Health Organization, the virus is caused by mosquito bites, causing severe protracted joint pain, joint swelling, muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue and rash.

Mostly prominent in subtropical regions, Chikungunya is now causing global concerns. Specifically, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that Bolivia, China, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mayotte, Réunion, Somalia and Sri Lanka are experiencing outbreaks, and recommend people to avoid travel.

Chikungunya is rarely deadly; however, infants face higher risks of death because of their premature and weak immune systems. Overall, the death count still remains low with around 90 deaths as of July 2025.

There are currently two vaccines made for the virus, both Food and Drug Administration approved: one for people who have already been infected, and one for those who may be at risk of exposure, as stated by the CDC.

by Christopher Bacon

Wildfires - Spain, Portugal

By Aug. 12, a wave of fire swept across Spain and Portugal, transforming forests, villages and farmland into smoldering ash. The countries, strained by weeks of unrelenting heat averaging temperatures over 110 degrees Fahrenheit, are battling some of the most destructive wildfires in recent months.

Flames have consumed more than 158,000 hectares in Spain and nearly 139,000 hectares in Portugal (Times of India). What began as scattered outbreaks has escalated into a continent-wide crisis, fueled by record temperatures and parched landscapes.

The fight has become a test of endurance. Between Aug. 17 and 18, Spain called in over 1,400 soldiers to join firefighters, while Portugal mobilized 4,000 responders supported by aircraft and ground vehicles. International assistance is arriving from neighboring nations, yet the fires continue to outpace efforts to contain them. Entire communities have been forced to evacuate as thick smoke turns the skies dark and the air heavy.

The toll is already severe. Two firefighters lost their lives: one in Spain, one in Portugal. Thousands of residents have fled their homes. Health officials caution that the smoke poses long-term risks, spreading far beyond the fire zones and affecting cities hundreds of miles away.

These wildfires have become more than seasonal disasters;they are evidence of a shifting climate. Longer summers, hotter temperatures and years of drought have made once resilient regions increasingly vulnerable to catastrophe. Across Europe, urgent discussions have begun on whether governments are prepared to face the accelerating pace of climate-driven crises.

For now, survival remains the focus. As firefighters continue to push against the advancing flames, communities brace for further evacuations, and officials work to prevent the destruction from spreading. This wildfire season has scarred Southern Europe, underscoring nature’s sporadicness and the growing urgency of adapting to a warming world.

by Kai Strzelecki

Floods

From rural Texas to the northern region of India, catastrophic floods took the lives of hundreds.

“Flash floods are not new, but their frequency and intensity are increasing in many regions due to rapid urbanization, land-use change, and a changing climate,” Stefan Uhlenbrook, the World Meteorological Organization Director of Hydrology, Water and Cryosphere, said in United Nations News.

The European State of the Climate, written by World Meteorological Organization and the European Union, stated that 2024 saw the most widespread flooding in Europe in over a decade, with 30% of the continent's rivers exceeding the flood threshold for each local area. This trend continues into 2025 as floods have echoed through South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia, America and Europe this past month.

Since late June, according to The United Nations, over 700 people in Pakistan have died because of flash floods triggered by monsoon rains and storms. Recently, a cloud burst caused rainfall of more than four inches in one hour in the northwest region, and took over 300 lives. Pakistan declared an official state of emergency, deploying military helicopters to perform rescue missions.

As cloudbursts continue to claim hundreds of lives, a series of similar floods and landslides occurs in the Himalayan region of India. Senior climate scientist at Climate Analytics, Fahad Saeed, projects that global warming will push high-altitude weather south and combine with lower-level monsoon clouds, creating intense rainstorms.

Similarly, Southeast Asia also experienced severe flooding from tropical storms and heavy monsoon rains. According to ReliefWeb, multiple tropical storms caused substantial flooding in northern regions of the Philippines, affecting the lives of millions and leading to 37 casualties.

East Asia also fell victim to catastrophic floods; The Republic of Korea suffered record-breaking downpours between June 16-20. In some locations, rain fell more than four and a half inches per hour. As a result, 18 people were killed and more than 13,000 were forced to evacuate.

Additionally, southern China issued flash flood and landslide alerts on July 21 and emphasized the risk of sequential storms after Typhoon Wipha struck Hong Kong.

However, rain was not to blame for every recent flood. On July 7, a lake in Nepal formed on the surface of a glacier that burst and caused the disappearance of dozens of people, and at least 11 reported deaths. This glacier burst is unfortunately not an unusual disaster, but the fourth burst in the past few months. In May and June, there were three glacial outbursts in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nepal.

According to a Phys.org article by the University of Geneva, if global warming persists, the risk of glacier floods are on track to triple by the end of the century. The patterns of rainfall and deadly floods will continue as the ocean absorbs excess heat and atmospheric weather remains inconsistent.

However, as Earth's climate continues to shift, society finds ways to adapt. The United Nations launched an initiative, “Early Warnings for All,” that aims to protect people from natural disasters such as floods by providing accurate and accessible warnings, aiming to cover all areas of the World with the Early Warning System by 2027.

by Reese Carsley

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About the Contributors

Christopher Bacon, Staff Writer

As Christopher Bacon enters his sophomore year, he is more than excited to dive into the abundance of learning and experiences that the Falconer entails. Beginning his first year on the newspaper as a staff writer, Bacon provides a creative and fresh perspective as he continues his passion for writing. This previous summer, Bacon attended The School of the New York Times, taking lessons and lectures from many journalists at the time, immersing himself in his New York Culture and journalism. He is the 2025 District Champion in Sparring for ATA, and when he is not in the studio training, he is out with friends, reading a good book, or enjoying a nice show. Ready to become a better writer and overcome the challenges that assist that, Bacon is thrilled to soar with the award-winning Falconer.

Kai Strzelecki, Director of Outreach

Kai Strzelecki, a junior entering his second year on The Falconer staff, is our Director of Outreach, the bridge between our stories and the community that reads them. Whether he’s scouting out the perfect latte or exploring a new corner of the world, Kai brings curiosity and a love for discovery to everything he does. This year, he’s determined to keep the paper’s voice strong and its stories sharp, making sure articles are not just read, but remembered.

Reese Carsley, News Editor

Coming back to the Falconer with fresh ideas and a foreign perspective, Reese Carsley is ready to make up for lost time! After an enlightening year studying abroad, she finds herself hoping to bring elements of what she’s learned to the newspaper and make her voice heard. After two years on the Falconer, one as a staff writer and one as a foreign correspondent, Reese is ready to step up as the News editor. As someone who loves educating those around her and working with a team to stay up to date with current events, this position is perfect for her. She is looking forward to stirring up some change in the newsroom this year and working closely with staff writers on more investigative pieces. If Reese isn’t editing a story on her computer you can find her swimming at the beach with some friends, practicing morning yoga, or going on a run with her dogs. She is heavily interested in her community and helping those within it, so you can find her comforting her peers or working at the crisis help line. Reese can’t wait to kick senior year off strong and while the Falconer is going to be one of her hardest goodbyes, she knows this year is going to be her best one yet!

Jaewon Jang, Graphics and Multimedia Editor

Now as a Graphics and Multimedia editor, Jaewon continues his second year in the Falconer in the field of graphic design to make the newspaper even better than last year. Since designing for the stories of this newspaper has been one of the greatest pleasures in his school life, Jaewon is determined to cooperate with other staff members to make this year’s Falconer as brilliant and visually appealing as last year, hopefully, even better than last year. Now that he learned lots of things from his successes and mistakes from last year, he looks forward to sharing his experiences and techniques with the incoming members of the Falconer and assisting fellow editors to publish the stories while maintaining friendship with them as always. Furthermore, he is eager to recruit more designers for the newspaper team to increase the quality of overall designs and get new ideas that will support the Falconer’s design to become more complete. Outside of the Falconer, he is a biology lover who likes to draw animals and small organisms, and he is starting a new club which makes children’s books for the youngsters who don’t have the basic concept of the field of biology. As he enters his junior year, Jaewon is more than excited to work with our new members and learn lots of new things and become a supporter while seeking for new designers, ultimately aiming for enhancing the visual elements of the Falconer.