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While the hantavirus from the MV Hondius cruise makes headlines, the closest health risk is 10 km from any Mediterranean city

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When the MV Hondius left Ushuaia heading to Antarctica on March 20, no one could imagine the hell they were about to live: 150 people of 23 different nationalities, a relatively small ship and a virus that has already caused the death of three passengers. The Dutch shipping company Oceanwide Expeditions consider now docking in the Canary Islandswhich guarantees extra media attention. And yet, the health risk is minimal. In fact, the true health risk for Spain lies elsewhere: much closer. “Risk”? Yes, ‘risk’ is the word and the best example is Andalusia. March 2, 2026 the Board announced that its Strategic Plan for Surveillance and Comprehensive Vector Control until now limited to the West Nile virus will incorporate (for the first time) the monitoring of dengue, chikungunya and Zika. It seems somewhat anecdotal, but what it hides is a profound epidemiological change: not only Andalusia, but the entire Spanish Mediterranean is becoming the perfect ‘breeding ground’ for the mosquitoes that spread all these diseases. What’s more, all this coincides temporally not only with the largest dengue epidemic ever recorded in the Americas (12.6 million cases)but with the historical record of indigenous chikungunya in continental Europe. Dengue in Spain. It is worth stopping at this because, according to data from the National Center for EpidemiologySpain reported 1,119 cases of dengue in 2024 (compared to 615 in 2023, 503 in 2022 and 50 in 2021). It is true that the majority are imported, but indigenous cases are growing. It is not a minor issue: before 2018 We had gone almost a century without indigenous cases in Spain. What changes for someone who lives in Spain? Today, 66% of the Spanish population already lives in municipalities with confirmed presence of tiger mosquitoes. This means that the individual risk of contracting diseases such as dengue, chikungunya or Zika remains low and localized (without having left the country), but it is certainly on the table. As Pamela Rendi-Wagner, director of the ECDC, pointed out last year, we have entered a new normal. And we have to learn that this situation is not fought with headlines but by eliminating stagnant water in patios and terraces. It is worth remembering that the (immense) majority of epidemics in the last 40 years have not been due to unknown diseasesbut to known diseases that went beyond their usual niche. That’s what we’re about to see: a bunch of diseases moving across a continent that has no recent experience managing them. Image | Mithil Girish In Xataka | Mosquitoes attack me in summer and I tried these TikTok tricks to get rid of them

We have been hearing talk for days about the “storm of the century”, this is what AEMET says about it (and about the trend of fattening meteorological headlines)

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It’s curious. A “storm of the century” concept has been around for days and, in the last hoursa date has even been set: February 25 would be the moment in which the storm would reach the country’s coasts. And I say that all this is curious because, in short, it is inaccurate, a ‘journalistic hook’: a lie after all. This 25th changes time, yes. But what the models describe is more like an Atlantic front (with rain in Galicia and some instability in the Canary Islands), than a truly exceptional episode. But let’s take a look because there are more things to take into account. What do the models say? That is the big question: AEMET and the rest of the specialized media draw a very different scenario. Galicia stands out with relevant accumulations (we are talking about 20–40 l/m² in the area from A Coruña to Pontevedra), but little else: in the rest of the areas where it rains, the quantities are much more discreet. In most places, almost testimonials. On the other hand, it is also possible that it will rain in the Canary Islands, but (unlike the peninsula) it will be a DANA in Morocco. And then? So, nothing. We won’t have big announcements; neither by winds, nor by rain, nor by coastal problems. AEMET is worriedYeah; but due to the persistent rainfall that may accumulate in the northwest. For the rest, if there is any news on the table, it is that a phenomenon that has been somewhat missing is going to return: the haze. There will be no “storm of the century” and that, of course, is excellent news. After all, we come from a winter that has been nothing more than a huge chain of storms. This has led to a whole process of social desensitization that is forcing popular meteorological information to raise the threshold until it borders on (or settles into) sensationalism. And it’s not the best time to do it: as AEMET itself points outit is possible that we are approaching a new era of precipitation in Spain. Climate change is increasing precipitation extremes globally. It doesn’t seem like a good idea to play ‘Peter and the Wolf’ just when things are starting to change. Image | Torsten Dederichs In Xataka | We already know exactly how much climate change was to blame for DANA in Valencia (and the figures are devastating)

All-Star Game of the NBA defined headlines

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The NBA revealed the titular quintets for the All-Star Game 2025, where the names of Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks. The Milwaukee Bucks star, Giannis Antetokounmpo, led all players in the vote of fans for the second consecutive season, and was accompanied by the eave of the Boston Celtics, Jayson Tatum, the escort of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Donovan Mitchell, and his teammates for the New York Knicks, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, in the head of the Eastern Conference. On the other hand in the West, LeBron James extended his record to 21 appearances in the All-Star Game and will accompany him in the titular alignment the pivot of the Denver Nuggets, Nikola Jokic, the current most valuable player in the NBA; The forward of the Phoenix Suns, Kevin Durant, who is now tied in fourth place with more appearances in history with 15; The escort of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander; and the escort of the Golden State Warriors, Stephen Curry. Brunson and Towns representing Knicks Karl-Anthony Towns is starting the All-Star Game for the first time in his career in his first season in New York after having done it four times as a reserve in his first nine seasons in the League with the Minnesota Timberwolves. While there was not much drama about the other nine starting positions, the one who really seemed to be at stake at the time of Thursday’s presentation was the second head of the East with Donovan Mitchell in the East Defense Zone between Jalen Brunson, the escort of the Charlotte Hornets Lamelo Ball, who ended with the greatest number of votes among the escorts of the East, and the Escort of the Bucks Damian Lillard. In the end, it was Brunson who stayed with the position. LeBron James extends his streak LeBron James extended his record to 21 appearances at the All-Star Game on Thursday night, when he was once again appointed holder for the mid-season show of the most important names of this year’s NBA. James, who turned 40 last month, extended his record after exceeding the 19 appearances of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar last season. James, who faced Tatum and the Celtics on Thursday, is averaging 23.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 9 assists for the Lakers, who remain in sixth place in the classification of the West Conference, a level of production without precedents for a player of his age. Continue reading: Adam Silver opens the possibility of a week of NBA action in EuropeThey will auction for $ 600,000 Sneakers with which Kobe Bryant broke the Achilles tendonNBA Ty Jerome Estrella House assault (Tagstotranslate) Jalen Brunson (T) Karl-Anthony Towns (T) New York Knicks

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