Climate Exchange

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ealth

Use of climate information

A prime example of the use of climate information to facili-

tate improvements in malaria management is the Malaria Early

Warning System (MEWS) developed in Sub-Saharan Africa over

the last decade by the Roll Back Malaria partners under the

auspices of the World Meteorological Organization.

With the

confirmation of a robust relationship between ENSO phenomena

and malaria incidence in the Solomon Islands, the development

of a similar early warning system for the Solomon Islands is

considered feasible.

An operational early warning system will require the establish-

ment of a number of protocols and procedures for ensuring the

rapid and timely exchange of information between the NMS and

relevant health providers, as well as an effective means of inform-

ing key Government entities and the wider population. The end

results will be improved healthcare outcomes for the residents of

the Solomon Islands and a more appropriate provision of health

services during periods of high malaria incidence, thus improving

the standard of care, the quality of healthcare outcomes, and cost

savings due to more efficient use of resources. These improvements

will likely lead to benefits in the overall wellbeing of the local popu-

lation, particularly during periods of high malaria risk and infection

potential. They will also bring long-term benefits to work and educa-

tion output (due to reduction in lost productivity from illness and

incapacity), as well as improvements to quality of life, subjective life

satisfaction and possibly average life expectancy.

Outreach

This project has been a pioneering case study of the impact of

climate variability and possible climate change on the health

of a Pacific community. Although the study has focused on the

Solomon Islands, the methodology has wider applications in a

number of other Pacific Island nations for improving the manage-

ment of malaria in Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu, dengue fever

in Fiji, and waterborne pathogens in Kiribati. Contrary to the

common belief that higher rainfall in the tropics is

generally conducive to a higher incidence of malaria,

this study has concluded that a certain rainfall thresh-

old, if exceeded, can significantly reduce the incidence

of malaria. It is not clear whether direct extrapolation

of the results of this study to other regions is appro-

priate, due to substantial differences in the effects of

the ENSO cycle on different PICs and to variations

in topography and geography across the region, all

of which can significantly affect the epidemiology of

climate-related illnesses.

The results of this research were presented in a work-

shop in Honiara and received wide coverage in local

media and an interview on the ABC Pacific Channel

with Lloyd Tahani of the Solomon Islands NMS. The

project has raised the profile of the NMS in the Solomon

Islands and has fostered closer collaboration between it

and health service organizations in the country.

Towards a sustainable system

Following the Honiara workshop, Dr Jennifer Mitini,

Director of National Health Research and Training, said

in an interview:

“The research has answered one of the burning ques-

tions we have really tried to answer in the past, but we

didn’t get results as comprehensive as this [study]. The

most important next step is for [the health commu-

nity] to start working with the Meteorological Services

to use the information they collect to help guide us

in our control actions, planning and management of

malaria cases.”

An early warning system for malaria has enor-

mous potential, from a public health perspective,

to be a very valuable tool in reducing the spread of

malaria in the population of the Solomon Islands,

and possibly other PICs. It is important that any

early warning system be sustainable once external

resources are removed. Experience in other develop-

ing countries has shown that the implementation of

simple and reliable alert systems can be a better use

of resources than trying to develop very costly and

complex model-based systems.

This pilot project has

demonstrated that it is possible to produce malaria

alerts based on seasonal climate forecasts issued by

SIMS and that this information could be provided

to the authorities and general public to complement

existing control strategies and policies.

The direct link between the outcomes of this study

and the Millennium Development Goal of a way of

reducing the incidence of malaria poses distinct advan-

tages for the future developments of an alert system

in the Solomon Islands and other PICs. With respect

to the Solomon Islands, the advantages are three-

fold. Firstly the commitment to the goal of malaria

reduction is already a well-established policy for

both the Solomon Islands Government and interna-

tional donors. The Solomon Islands Government has

been heavily engaged in malaria reduction for several

decades. Its commitment to reduction strategies has

The PI-CPP Solomon Islands pilot project received wide

coverage in the local media

Source:

Solomon Star,

1 August 2009