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G
OOD HEALTH STATUS
is one of the primary aspirations
of human social development. Consequently, health
indicators are key components of human development
indices – for example, the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs), by which we measure progress toward sustainable
development. Certain diseases and ill health are associated with
particular environmental, seasonal and climatic conditions.
This was recognized by the ancient writers of Vedic literature,
and by Hippocrates, but largely overlooked during the devel-
opment of modern medicine. However, the community and
public services are showing increased awareness of these asso-
ciations, and climate and health interactions are the focus of
considerable research today.
Climate may impact on health through a number of mech-
anisms. This could be directly, through cold or heat stress, or
indirectly through its impact on communicable and non-
communicable diseases. The World Health Organization
(WHO) recently identified 14 climate sensitive communicable
diseases, including malaria, cholera and dengue. WHO
describes these diseases as being promising candidates for the
development of climate-informed early warning systems.
1
It
also acknowledges that some non-communicable coronary and
respiratory diseases are climate sensitive.
Evidence-based health policy
The role of evidence in the creation of health policy has been
strongly promoted in recent years through, for example, the
Cochrane systematic reviews.
2
Before using climate informa-
tion in routine decision making, health policy advisors and
decision makers should ask for:
• Evidence of the impact of climate variability on their
specific outcome of interest
• Evidence that using climate information is a cost-effective
and practical means to improve health outcomes.
Managing climate-related health risks
Dr Stephen J. Connor, Director, PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centre on Early Warning Systems
for Malaria and other Climate Sensitive Diseases; Director, Environmental Monitoring Research
International Research Institute for Climate & Society
Poor air quality due to atmospheric smog over New York
Photo: CDC/Dr. Edwin P. Ewing, Jr