La Niña is commonly associated with heavier-than-normal rains in Indonesia, the Philippines, parts of Australia, Central America, northern South America, and southeastern Africa, and with drought conditions in the Middle East, eastern Argentina, eastern China, Korea, and southern Japan.
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impact
Typical regional precipitation and drought patterns linked to La Niña.
A Korean study led by Jihun Song at Korea University College of Medicine reported that influenza-like illness dropped sharply during the early COVID-19 pandemic while upper respiratory infections and the common cold surged in 2023 and 2024 in Korea, and that pertussis incidence increased by more than 40-fold compared to historical trends.
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statistical
Analysis of changes in infectious disease incidence during and after the COVID-19 pandemic in Korea.