ClimateAugust 25, 2026
contagion
kun-TAY-jun
Definition
The spread of a negative economic, political, or social condition from one entity or region to others.
Etymology
Derived from the Latin 'contagio,' meaning 'contact' or 'touching,' it originally referred to the transmission of disease through physical contact before being applied metaphorically to non-biological phenomena like economic crises.
In the news
The article uses the term to describe how financial distress in food-importing nations could trigger a chain reaction of deficits and defaults across global markets.
Coming to a farm near you – the $14trn El Niño climate shock
Read the full article ↗The Africa Report