Scientists have come one step closer to tracking outbreaks of bartonellosis, a potentially fatal vector‐borne disease. Outbreaks of the disease, which was once thought to be found primarily in the high Andes Mountains of Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia, may be related to El Ni˜no events, according to researchers with NASA and the U.S. military.In findings reported on 17 January, climatology and disease prevention researchers said a study conducted in two regions in Peru points to a strong potential link between the 1997–1998 El Niño and an increase in sand flies, which are thought to be the disease host carriers.