Addressing global health challenges
2. Climate change’s impact on health
Objective
To support research to understand and mitigate the impact of climate change on health, while recognizing the interconnection between human, animal and environmental health.
Disease focus
Climate-sensitive and vector-borne diseases such as dengue, Zika, Chikungunya, yellow fever, meningitis and cholera.
Key activities
- Supporting research teams implementing a One Health approach to vector-borne diseases in the context of climate change in Africa.
- Establishing and strengthening the capacity of control programmes to use the Early Warning and Response System for climate-sensitive diseases in collaboration with WHO’s Climate Change and Health unit.
- Supporting researchers, health professionals and other stakeholders to expand their capacity to conduct and manage implementation research to mitigate the impact of climate change on health and apply a One Health perspective.
2024 updates
- The four research teams selected in 2023 to address One Health implementation research priorities for vector-borne diseases in the context of climate change in Africa have concluded their research and are now disseminating their findings to relevant stakeholders. (See Spotlight story below.)
- The Early Warning and Response System for climate-sensitive diseases (EWARS-csd) is being piloted in three additional countries in West Africa (Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Senegal). Other countries implementing EWARS-csd include Bangladesh, Cambodia, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, India, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malawi, Malaysia, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Timor-Leste and Thailand.
- A research team from India conducted a literature review exploring how gender and climate change influence infectious disease dynamics among marginalized populations in LMICs. A South African research team conducted a literature review on the intersection of gender and other sociocultural determinants of health and antimicrobial resistance in a changing climate. This work includes mapping the state of the art in this area and identifying evidence gaps that will inform TDR’s work in the future.
- The Impact Grants initiative is supporting research teams in Cameroon, Vanuatu, Viet Nam and Zambia that are piloting smart phone applications to track outbreaks and provide alerts to citizens in rural communities.
- The postgraduate training scheme supported four Master of Public Health students at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Senegal who are focusing their thesis projects on the impact of climate change on health using a One Health approach.
Current Master’s of Public Health students at Senegal’s Université Cheikh Anta Diop, supported by TDR, at an implementation research workshop earlier this year.
Credit: Université Cheikh Anta Diop
- As part of the 18th International course on dengue and other emerging arboviruses in Havana, Cuba, TDR supported a scientific meeting where the impact of climate change on the efficiency of vector control strategies was discussed.
Relevant training activities
- TDR’s postgraduate training scheme, in collaboration with eight universities in LMICs, focuses on building capacity on implementation research on major global health challenges, including climate change’s impact on health.
- TDR-supported regional training centres (RTCs) trained individuals on implementation research to mitigate the impact of climate change on health and apply a One Health approach.
RTCs trained
more than
7000
individuals online
345
individuals in-person
- A new implementation research toolkit module on One Health has been launched.
- A new online course in French for applying a One Health approach to implementation research on infectious diseases has been developed.
Spotlight
Enhancing One Health surveillance and control of vector-borne diseases related to climate change in the West Africa region
Vector-borne diseases (VBDs) such as dengue, yellow fever and Rift Valley fever have long troubled Africa, with outbreaks becoming more frequent due to climate change. TDR is supporting research led by the Institut Pasteur de Dakar (IPD) in Senegal and the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) to enhance the surveillance and control of VBDs using a One Health approach, which integrates human, animal and environmental health.
Mosquitoes resting indoors and outdoors
Larvae and pupae sampling in water storage or discarded containers
Egg collection using egg-laying traps
Host-seeking mosquito collection
Credit: TDR/A. Gildas Yahouedo