"As temperatures rise and rains become more intense, the world’s becoming more hospitable to mosquitoes and the diseases they spread."

"When the chills, body shivers, and pounding headache first hijacked my system, I was 30,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean, midway through a 14-hour flight to Manila in the Philippines. My home in Baja California Sur, Mexico, was some 5,000 miles behind me. And I had no clue which pathogen had stowed itself away in my bloodstream before my departure.

Four days later – following many visits to pharmacies and a small island clinic – a volley of blood tests finally revealed what was wrecking my body: dengue fever, also known as breakbone fever.

Fittingly for the disease’s common name, it was the sharp and nearly-paralyzing body aches in my ankles, calves, and even between my fingers that prompted my Filipino medical team to test for dengue."

Tree Meinch reports for Yale Climate Connections January 8, 2026. [2]